Master Dragneel
by digemsmack
Summary: Certain things seemed to line up just right to make it so that Natsu wouldn't be able to go to the S-Class exams. It all started with an urgent quest asking for him and from there it went downwards, but Natsu being himself wouldn't let that stop him. Will he be able to keep Fairy Tail afloat, or will it all come crashing down around him? Disclaimer I do not own Fairy Tail.
1. Left Behind

Ch 1: Left behind

 **Two Weeks before the S-Class exams:**

"Natsu I need you in my office right this minute!" shouted Master Makarov from his office.

"What in the hell did you do now Flame Brain?" asked Grey with a grin since he always loved watching his rival get yelled at.

"I didn't do anything this time, you know that I am always on my best behavior at this time of the year." stated Natsu as he slowly made his way upstairs to Master Makarovs office. The whole time Natsu was trying to figure out if he had done anything that would have gotten himself into trouble with the Master but was coming up completely blank.

"Natsu you better hurry, Master sounded very serious or am I going to have to help you get there faster?" asked Erza with a grin, telling Natsu that he wasn't going to like her method of getting him there faster.

"No need for that Erza." said Natsu nervously as he ran to the Master's office.

"There you are Natsu, please shut the door and have a seat." said Master Makarov in a very serious tone.

"First off Gramps I didn't do it." said Natsu as he closed the door.

"HAHAHAHA of course you would assume that you are getting yelled at Natsu, but this time that isn't the case. What I called you in here for is that we received an urgent request that is ideal with someone that has your magic. But the thing is that it's at least an S-Class level quest which makes me not want to send you Natsu." replied Master Makarov with a chuckle and was then pinching the bridge of his nose by the end of it.

"Well if that is the case, then way are you even telling me any of this Gramps?" asked Natsu with an eyebrow rose.

"Because if you don't go then more people will die Natsu, and that is something that has to be stopped. But I don't want you dying in order to achieve that, which is why I decided to tell you about the request and let you decide if you want to go." explained Master Makarov.

"I'm in Gramps but I am wonder why you don't just send Erza or Mira since they are actually S-Class?" asked Natsu with a smile.

"Don't just accept a job before you even hear what you need to do Natsu. As for why I don't just send those two, which is because they won't be able to do anything, at least that is what the request says and why it specifically asks for you." replied Master Makarov.

"Of course I am going to accept Gramps no matter what it is since more people are going to die if I don't. So why won't Mira and Erza be able to do this request?" asked Natsu with his usual grin.

"I should have guessed that was your reason for accepting without any information. According to the flyer all other mages that attempted to do this either died or couldn't even lay a single scratch on the beast that is destroying anything in its path." Master Makarov started to explain.

"What type of beast is it?" interrupted Natsu.

"I was just going to say that Natsu and I don't want to hear anymore interruptions out of you Natsu. According to the flyer it is a fire drake which is supposed to be relatives to fire dragons that haven't been seen since the dragons disappeared. And since drakes are pretty much just a smaller version of dragons that can't do any other magic then their element they were never as feared as much as dragons were. But that doesn't mean that they were weak either, they are supposed to be highly intelligent creatures that survived do to their quickness and cunning. They also apparently have the scales of a dragon meaning that only a dragon slayer can take them down." explained Master Makarov.

"What about a drake slayer even though I have never heard of one?" asked Natsu.

"The reason that you haven't heard of one Natsu is because as far as I know there has never been one. And this is probably do to the fact that drakes have always hated humans and would never have taken one in and trained it in magic that could one day kill them. They have always thought that humans wanted to eradicate their species which unfortunately is correct when they used to be seen in Fiore." answered Master Makarov.

"So would I have to kill it?" asked Natsu with a bit of hesitation in his voice.

"The request is only to get the attacks on the towns to stop, but I am sure that they would prefer that you kill the drake so that it never comes back and attacks them again. But I guess if you could stop the drake without killing it then they really shouldn't care, but I want to warn you Natsu that if you do take this request. Please don't hesitate to land the final blow on the drake since they are extremely dangerous and would do the same for you." replied Master Makarov.

"So when do I leave and can I take my team?" asked Natsu.

"You can leave right away and as for taking a team you cannot since they would only be a hindrance and make you get distracted Natsu. But you can take Happy with you since he will actually get you there faster than taking the train, it would be wise to leave him in the town so that he doesn't get hurt." answered Master Makarov with a lot of concern in his voice.

"Okay Gramps so where do Happy and I need to go?" asked Natsu with an excited face.

"The request came from Shirotsume and says that the drake is apparently residing in the mountains north of there. So I would leave Happy there as you head into the mountains unless you plan to send him away as soon as you find the drake." said Master Makarov in the same tone.

"Thanks Gramps, me and Happy will be leaving right away." said Natsu as he headed to the doors.

"Natsu please be careful, the guild couldn't handle it if something were to happen to you." said Master Makarov meaning every word that he said.

"Don't worry Gramps there is nothing that is going to stop me from being an S-Class mage at the exams in two weeks." replied Natsu with his confident grin that slightly eased his worries.

"I will be more than happy to see you finally become one Natsu." said Master Makarov with a small smile.

"See you later then Gramps, Happy we have a special quest let's go." said Natsu as he jumped from the second level and headed towards the door.

"Aye Sir!" cheered Happy as he joined Natsu without a single question.

"We'll come with you Natsu." said Erza with the rest of Team Natsu with her.

"Sorry Erza and everyone else but this is only a mission for me and Happy." replied Natsu as he continued towards the doors.

"Who said that Natsu?" asked an angry Erza who wasn't a fan of being told no by Natsu.

"That would be me, Erza and I will see you when you get back Natsu." stated Master Makarov with a serious expression.

"See you later everyone." said Natsu as he went outside and Happy took off with him.

"Master what type of mission did you just send Natsu on that we wouldn't have been able to help him?" asked Erza with a disgruntled look.

"He was requested to take care of a fire drake, which is why you guys would only get in his way." said Master Makarov getting shocked gasps from the guild.

"Why is everyone shocked by that, Natsu is always getting request to deal with anything that is fire related?" asked Grey.

"We're all shocked Grey because drakes are just smaller forms of dragons that have never been known to care for human at all and would rather see us wiped of the face of the world." explained Lucy with a really worried face.

"Master how could you send him on such a dangerous quest all by himself?" asked a furious Erza.

"I didn't Erza, as soon as he learned that people where dying there was only one option for a person like Natsu. And that was to put a stop to it no matter what, and besides he seemed confident that he would be back to still participate in the S-Class exams." stated Master Makarov.

"But that is how Natsu is with everything that he does Master. Natsu always thinks that he will be alright and doesn't care about getting hurt as long as he can help others." stated Mira with concern in her voice.

"That is true, but has Natsu ever once been wrong about that?" asked Master Makarov with a smug smile.

"But this time he doesn't have us with him." stated Erza.

"Yes and that's the point Erza, most of those times when Natsu has been severely wounded was because he was trying to protect someone else. This time all he will have to be concerned about is himself meaning he should be fine, so have a little faith in your fellow guild member." said Master Makarov as he watched everyone realize that he was correct about that so they couldn't even argue with him anymore on this subject.

"I still have a really bad feeling about this Master." stated Erza with a frown.

"Me too Erza." said Mira who was also frowning.

"I would be lying to you two if I said that I wasn't worried about Natsu on this mission but he's the only one that can do this. Besides if anything goes wrong he has Happy with him." said Master Makarov with a faint smile.

"Why not send one of the other dragon slayers with him." suggested Mira hoping that Master Makarov would do it.

"I would but Gajeel is already doing his own job when this came in and Wendy is still too young to go on a mission like this. Which made this a solo mission for Natsu and believe me Mira, I would have really preferred to send another dragon slayer with him, but every second that we waste could mean more lives lost." explained Master Makarov.

"I can see that you would have done that if you could have Master." said Mira with a small smile.

"How long will it take him to complete it?" asked Erza as she realized that Happy was definitely not going to just leave Natsu all by himself to take on the fire drake alone.

"It should only take him a few days if it goes smoothly." replied Master Makarov with a little frown.

"How long would it take if it doesn't go smoothly Master?" asked Mira with a deadly glare directed at Master Makarov.

"A week tops Mira, but don't worry this is Natsu we're talking about here." replied Master Makarov with a small grin.

"Which means it won't go smoothly." stated Erza with troubled look on her face.

"Crap you're right, but don't worry he'll be fine nothing can keep Natsu down." stated Master Makarov with a smaller grin because he was now really concerned about Natsu.

"I hope your right Master." stated Mira as she went back to cleaning the bar.

 **The Next day in the mountains North of Shirotsume:**

Since it was summer the mountains were not covered in snow like they usually were for most of the year. Not that it would have mattered to Natsu considering that he never felt the cold do to him being a fire dragon slayer. The mountains that they were flying over right now were surprisingly covered with a lot of vegetation considering that they only have a few months with no snow at these parts.

"Do you smell anything yet Natsu?" asked Happy as he was flying with Natsu held underneath him.

"Yes I am Happy, and I think that the drake might be about four miles north east of here." replied Natsu with a grin.

"So are you going to kill the drake Natsu?" asked Happy as he now adjusted his course to where Natsu said the drake was most likely at.

"I hope that I won't have to Happy, but it might not give me any other options." said Natsu with a slight frown.

"Just be careful Natsu, you said that Master told you that they were smart and not fans of humans so it might try and trick you." said Happy who was scared for his surrogate father and closest friend.

"Don't worry Happy, I am the son of the Fire Dragon King Igneel. So there is no way that a fire drake is going to show me up, that would be a disgrace to Igneel's reputation and I am not going to allow that to happen." declared Natsu as he started to look for signs of the fire drake.

"Just promise me that you'll be careful Natsu." pleaded Happy.

"I promise Happy and remember that you have to stay far away, I don't want this drake targeting you." responded Natsu.

"Will do Natsu, the fire drake won't even know that I am here." replied Happy with a big grin.

"Good, now set me down and hide little buddy, I can tell that it's really close right now." said Natsu in a quiet voice.

"Aye Sir." whispered Happy as he set Natsu down and then hid behind some rocks.

"Alright fire drake I know that you can hear me, so why don't you come out here and have a talk with me." shouted Natsu at the top of his lungs. And he waited for a few minutes without getting any sort of a response back, which aggravated Natsu to where he was about to shout out another challenge.

"Well aren't you an interesting human, coming into my territory and demanding an audience with me. Most humans would just try to sneak up on me and try to slit my throat." replied the fire drake as it landed on some rocks in front of Natsu while making a laughing noise at the end of his comment.

The drake was about as big as three elephants put together, which is still very big for a human but is nothing compared to a dragon that are usually at least three times bigger than that. The drake's main color of scales where a really dark grey that covered everything except for his under belly which was just a lighter shade of grey. The drake also had a splash of red thrown in; all of his spikes on his back along with his claws and skin on his wings were a deep red.

"I am not like most humans, I know that it would be pointless to try and cut your throat. Besides I think that we could work this out peacefully, even though my usual style is fight first talk later." said Natsu with a grin as he looked at the drake with absolutely no fear.

"You are indeed a unique human that isn't even scared of my presence, while also having a peculiar scent that seems very familiar." replied the drake while inspecting Natsu.

"Why would I be afraid of a drake when I have seen a dragon before?" asked Natsu.

"You've met a dragon before, than you really are a one of a kind human. Most humans don't live after meeting a dragon or a drake, well you aren't going to actually be alive for much longer. But I am interested in what you have to say to me, so what is it human?" asked the fire drake.

"I am going to just say it and be done with it, you need to leave this area and never return. Otherwise I am going to be forced to fight you and I really don't want to hurt you." said Natsu with a serious expression.

"That is the funniest thing that I have heard in a long time human, there's nothing that you could do to hurt me little human." said the fire drake after doing his deep laughter that sounded almost like thunder.

"That isn't a joke, oh yea I didn't get your name." stated Natsu with a small grin.

"Because I would never give it to a lowly human as yourself now enjoy your trip to the afterlife." said the fire drake who then promptly breathed a steady stream of fire at Natsu until he was confident that there would be nothing left of the human.

"You were very interesting human." said the fire drake as he looked at the flames that he unleashed and were still burning. But was then shocked to hear the sounds of slurping and other weird noises, until the flames all disappeared and Natsu was just left standing there as if nothing happened and sporting a big grin.

"That was surprisingly tasty; well I might as well introduce myself. My name is Natsu Dragneel the son of the Fire Dragon King Igneel and I suggest that you leave here while you still have the chance." stated Natsu proudly.

"You mean that you are his slayer?" asked the fire drake.

"Yes and that means that I am one of the few humans that can actually hurt you. So leave since I have no desire to hurt any relatives of Igneel." replied Natsu.

"We are not related to that traitor who sided with the humans during the Great War. And since you are his son that makes us mortal enemies Natsu Dragneel and I am going to really enjoy killing you." said the fire drake with a growl and then lunged at Natsu hoping to end this in one move by simply eating him. But Natsu wasn't going to let that happen as he ducked under the drake's jaw and rolled to where he was right under the drakes under belly.

 **"FIRE DRAGON'S IRON FIST!"** shouted Natsu as he punched the drake with full force at one of its weakest points. Causing the drake to roll over in pain but quickly recovered before Natsu could land another strike on him.

"You are going to pay for that Dragneel." hissed the drake as he swiped at Natsu with one of his arms causing Natsu to jump just like the drake wanted. The drake then went to bite Natsu in half thinking that he wouldn't be able to dodge in the air, but he was once again caught off guard by Natsu as he shot fire out of his feet to get some extra height to his jump. Natsu then did a flip over the drake's open mouth and came back down onto the drake's neck with a flame covered foot shouting **FIRE DRAGON'S CLAW!** This launched the head of the drake into the ground at astonishing speeds making it actually form a small crater.

But Natsu didn't stop there, he then launched into a round of **FIRE DRAGON'S IRON FIST** with a few **FIRE DRAGON'S CRUSHING ELBOW** which is where he would bring down his elbow that was encased with fire while shooting fire out of his fist to make the hit more devastating. Natsu then back off backed off seeing as he was actually able to get some of the scales of the fire drake to fall off leaving him no exposed for some real damage.

"It seems that I might have been wrong about you Dragneel, you are a worthier opponent than I anticipated you would be. So I will give you the honor of hearing my name before I kill you Dragneel, this means that I acknowledge your ability to fight. My name is Zechum now get ready for the real fight Dragneel, because only one of us is walking away from this alive." said the fire drake with a grin that looked extremely sinister.

"It doesn't have to be that way Zechum, we can stop this right now and both go our separate ways." suggested Natsu.

"Sorry Dragneel but that is not going to happen when I have finally found an opponent that can actually give me a slight challenge." said Zechum as he then took flight.

"Are you running away, I thought you wanted to fight?" asked Natsu as he looked up at Zechum.

"Oh but I do Dragneel, I am just going to tip the scales in my favor." replied Zechum who then shot fire all around Natsu in a big circle.

"I think your aiming is of the Zechum, that wasn't even close to hitting me. Besides, we both know that neither of us are going to take any damage with plan fire attacks." said Natsu as he looked at Zechum's last attack that caused him to not be able to see anything past the ring that Zechum made. Do to all of the smoke and debris caused by his fire when hitting the ground.

"I know that Dragneel which is why I am now going with a stealthy approach." replied Zechum who was no longer in the air and was now hiding in the cover that he made for himself.

"Come out and fight me like a dragon you coward." shouted Natsu who then had to roll to the left to not get sliced in half by Zechum's claws, but unfortunately was then hit by his tail instead. This sent him flying about ten feet back and right next to the edge of the ring of smoke and dust.

"Why would I do a thing like that Dragneel that puts us one an equal playing field which is quite impressive considering that you are a lowly human. But you are the son of the Igneel so I should have seen this coming a mile away, since he was truly a dragon to not be reckoned with." said Zechum as he went back into the smoke and dust.

"This still won't be enough to stop me from kicking your ass Zechum." shouted Natsu as he made his way to the middle of the area that was smoke free.

"We'll see about that Dragneel." replied Zechum with a laugh that sounded like it was coming from all sides.

"Let's just get this over with Zechum, I have other things that I want to do." replied Natsu with a little growl but got no response back from Zechum. So Natsu stayed on high alert waiting for the next attack that he anticipated would come from his sides or his back, but once again Natsu was caught off guard by Zechum.

Zechum came flying straight at Natsu from the front and with speed that shocked Natsu, but luckily Natsu dropped to his back to avoid the attack. But that isn't all that Natsu did, he also shot fire out of his feet so that he could stay right underneath Zechum with weakest part exposed to the dragon slayer. **"FIRE DRAGON'S IRON FISTS!"** shouted Natsu as he started to swing away at Zechum's gut. Unfortunately for Natsu these punches were not as strong as they normally would've been since he couldn't get a real swing in do to him sliding on the ground so that he could keep up with Zechum for a bit.

Then Zechum disappeared as soon as they reached the smoke and dust ring. Natsu having a good idea what was going to be coming, quickly rolled to his left anticipating an attack, and he was correct because if he hadn't rolled when he did he would have been skewered onto Zechum's three red claws. Natsu continued to keep rolling dodging more of the same attacks and then did a hand spring to get back to the middle. But unfortunately Zechum as able to get one of his claws to slice Natsu's back as he sprung away.

"Dammit, those claws are sharp as hell." shouted Natsu in pain as he now had a cut that went from his right shoulder blade to his left hip and it was making him lose a lot of blood.

"You were a worthy foe Dragneel, but now all I need to do is sit back and watch you bleed to death." said Zechum from inside of the smoke and dust that he kept making as to not lose his cover.

"There is no way I am going to let a scratch like this stop me." shouted Natsu as he covered himself in fire which cauterized his wound ensuring that it was going to leave a scar that Wendy wouldn't be able to get rid of. This is why Natsu only does this move if it is absolutely necessary and this time it most definitely was.

"And I am also sick of you hiding like a coward Zechum." bellowed Natsu as he then slammed his flame covered right fist into the ground as hard as he could. Natsu hit the ground so hard that he made a little crater and with that he also sent out a wave of air that was strong enough to clear away the smoke and dust.

"What in the world?" asked Zechum in complete shock at Natsu sealing up his own wound and getting rid of his cover with one punch. But he was broken from his state of shock when Natsu once again laid into him with **FIRE DRAGON'S IRON FISTS, FIRE DRAGON'S CLAWS** and with a few **FIRE DRAGON'S CRUSHING ELBOW** thrown in. After letting Natsu get some really good hits on him, Zechum was finally able to put up his defenses and started to retaliate. The two of them fought for the next hour each only landing minor blows on the other, Natsu getting a few more cuts which were no were near as deep as the one he got on his back. While Zechum lost a few more scales in the process while also getting hit were he had already lost some.

They were both growing tired of this fight and wanted to end it right now, but unfortunately Zechum put his plan into motion faster and was finally able to get Natsu to dodge like he expected. This would have been the end for Natsu if he didn't shoot flames out of his left hand which got his body out of the jaws of Zechum but unfortunately not his left arm. As the jaw shut there was the sound of bones breaking along with the pain filled scream of Natsu, which then turned into a shout surprising Zechum who thought that this fight was over after he chomped down onto his arm that was still in his jaws.

 **"FIRE DRAGON'S PIERCING CLAW!** " shouted Natsu as he took his right hand that was covered in flames and spread flat. And proceeded to drive it straight into Zechum's left eye and burning everything near it, causing Zechum to be in the worst pain of his life and let go of Natsu's left arm. Zechum then roared in pain as he tried to rid his body of the pain that Natsu inflicted on him and then fell to his side as he writhed in pain.

 **"FIRE DRAGON'S SWORD HORN!"** shouted Natsu as he then head-butted Zechum in his exposed under belly signifying that Nasu had just ended the fight. Zechum just laid their on his left side experiencing the worst pain in his life and couldn't believe that this was done by a lowly human, well he wasn't a normal human. But even though Natsu was a dragon slayer Zechum felt like he still should have been able to beat him.

"So do you surrender Zechum?" asked Natsu as he came up to Zechum with his left arm mangled so bad that it looked like he might have stuck it into a grinder. But Natsu was still standing tall as if it wasn't affecting him at all and was still in a fighting stance ready for Zechum to attack.

"I surrender Dragneel, but I am going to give you a friendly warning. I won't be the last drake to come to these lands and after our return that signals the return of the dragons." said Zechum still on his side.

"Wait are you saying that the dragons are going to return?" asked Natsu as he put his guard down which was exactly what Zechum was looking for. And with a confident smirk Zechum slashed at Natsu with his tail that had an extremely sharp spike on it that he intended to drive through Natsu's heart.

Natsu on the other hand noticed the smirk that Zechum made as soon as he dropped his guard. So completely off of instincts Natsu twisted to the right so that the tail wouldn't hit him and continued to spin out of the way, but was nicked by the sharp spike on his right shoulder cutting straight through his guild mark. Natsu continued with his spin and then used one more attack to completely finish the fight permanently.

 **"FIRE DRAGON'S PIERCING CLAW!"** shouted Natsu as he took his right hand and drove it through the surprised right eye of Zechum until his arm was covered up to past his elbow. With that strike Natsu pierced Zechum's brain and killed him instantly, which was something that Natsu really wished that he didn't have to do. Natsu removed his arm from within Zechum's head and let out a fierce roar that signified his victory while also covering himself in fire to seal up any of his wounds knowing that he had already lost a lot of blood. After his roar and sealing up his wounds Natsu passed out and fell on top of Zechum, but luckily for him Happy was already on the scene and going to take him to the nearest town for emergency care.

 **Six days later at Fairy Tail:**

"Master it's been a week and we still haven't heard anything from Natsu yet." said Erza with a concerned look.

"Erza has Natsu ever been one to give any of us a heads up on what he's doing. It probably just took him longer than we expected to find the fire drake." reasoned Master Makarov who was really concerned and had been worrying about Natsu since he left.

"Yea Erza, there's no way Flame Brain is going to miss the S-Class exams this year. He's going to show up any time now bragging that he completed an S-Class mission all by himself." stated Grey with a grin on his face having complete faith in Natsu's capabilities.

"I am still mad that you didn't tell us that it was S-Class Master." said Mira with a frown.

"Why didn't you tell us that until yesterday?" asked Erza.

"Because I knew that if I told you guys earlier then you all would have went after Natsu to try and help him. That would have been the worst thing possible that any of you could have done. So I didn't tell you guys for Natsu's own safety now quit bothering me I am trying to drink here." said Master Makarov with a frown as he went back to drinking his beer.

"I still have an uneasy feeling about this." stated Mira still having a frown on her face which didn't suit her at all.

"Don't worry demon, there's no way Salamander let a fire drake beat him." stated Gajeel from across the hall.

"Gajeel's right Mira, Natsu was made for this type of mission." said Wendy with a big smile on her face.

"I really hope you two are right." said Mira with a small smile gracing her face.

"Of course they are right Mira, and besides this is Natsu we're talking about here. Has he ever actually failed a mission before, I know that he has been not paid before but he always completes the job?" asked Lucy with a smile.

"He actually hasn't Lucy, except for the Everlue mission that he went on with you which had different circumstances. He doesn't want to ever disgrace Fairy Tail's reputation so he always completes the jobs." said Erza with a proud grin at how good of a mage Natsu has become over the years.

"See, so any second now he's going to come crashing through those doors just like Grey said." replied Lucy with a big smile, which was then followed by a loud crash being heard from the infirmary upstairs.

"What the hell was that?" asked Grey.

"No idea since no one should be up there." stated Mira with a concerned look on her face.

"Help, Natsu needs help right now!" screamed Happy as he flew out of the infirmary, causing Mira and Wendy to take off to the infirmary to do just that. They were quickly followed by Master Makarov and the rest of Team Natsu with Gajeel and Lily included.

They were all shocked to see Natsu covered in bandages and having his left arm in a cast. Mira and Wendy went about taking off the bandages so that they could see all of the damage done to him. They were both concerned since Natsu still seemed to be completely knocked out and showed no signs of waking any time soon.

"What happened to Natsu, Happy?" asked Master Makarov.

"Well Natsu and I found the fire drake Zechum just a day after leaving here. Natsu tried to get Zechum to leave peacefully and not resort to a battle, but Zechum didn't want to do that so they started to fight. And right off the bat Natsu was winning, which got Zechum to reveal his name to Natsu as a sign of respect I think he said. After that Zechum started to fight dirty by hiding in the smoke and dust he kept making, which allowed him to land a very severe attack onto Natsu's back." explained Happy as Mira and Wendy just happened to have gotten those bandages off and were now looking at it.

"Dear Mavis, how did he keep fighting after an attack like this?" asked Mira as ran her hand over the huge scar.

"He sealed it with his fire didn't he?" asked Wendy with a frown already knowing the answer.

"Yes Natsu did while also getting rid of the smoke and dust allowing him to get the drop on Zechum and dealing some really heavy blows. After that they fought for more than an hour, where I think Zechum got most of Natsu's moves down which is how he knew where Natsu was going to dodge to and tried to end it. But Natsu used his flames to move farther but unfortunately he couldn't get his left arm out of the way as Zechum closed his jaws and then Natsu used a move that really hurt Zechum." continued Happy while trying to hold back his tears.

"How does he even still have his arm?" asked Grey who was now concerned about Natsu.

"That would be because Salamander is a dragon slayer Stripper, we are stronger than normal humans which came in really handy for him this time." answered Gajeel with a small grin.

"What was the move that Natsu used?" asked Master Makarov.

"He called it **FIRE DRAGON'S PIERCING CLAW** and attacked with the tips of his fingers rather than his fists like he usually does." explained Happy.

"Shit Salamander must have been serious." said Gajeel with a whistle.

"Why are you saying that Gajeel?" asked Erza.

"Because Salamander was using an attack that is meant to be able to pierce dragon scales and attack the body behind them. It's an attack that pretty much can break through any defense that is weaker than dragon scales which is pretty much everything." explained Gajeel with a grin.

"Then why hasn't he used it before?" asked Grey.

"Because Salamander could easily kill any of you if he did Stripper, which is probably why he hasn't used it on any of his enemies as well." said Gajeel with a big grin at watching the reactions of everyone except for Wendy.

"I didn't know that he had a move like that." stated Erza in shock.

"Then what happened, Happy?" asked a very concerned Lucy who wanted to get the conversation back on track.

"Natsu used that move and took out Zechum's left eye like I said before causing Zechum severe damage. This caused Zechum to let go of Natsu, allowing Natsu to then use his sword horn move to finish the fight. Natsu then went up to Zechum and started to talk with him, but I don't know what they said since they weren't yelling at each other. I assume that Natsu was trying to get Zechum to surrender so that he wouldn't have to kill him, but Zechum had other plans and tried to take Natsu out with a surprise attack. But Natsu rolled out of the way of the attack and used that new move again and killed Zechum with it, after that Natsu let out a roar and sealed all of his wound and then passed out." explained Happy with a few tears coming down his face.

"Then why did it take you so long to bring him back?" asked Erza with an angry expression.

"Because Natsu needed help right away, so I took him to the nearest town." Happy shouted back at Erza.

"It's a good thing that you did that Happy, otherwise who knows what would have happened to Natsu." said Wendy as she was healing some of his wounds as Mira started to take off the cast so Wendy could look at Natsu's left arm.

"Has Natsu woken at all since then Happy?" asked Master Makarov.

"No Natsu hasn't, which is why I took him back here as soon as the doctor said that it wouldn't kill him." said Happy with a frown.

"You did good Happy and I am really glad that you went with him." said Master Makarov with a smile.

"Wendy are you going to be able to get rid of these scars?" asked Lucy as she looked at the one that was going diagonally through his Fairy Tail emblem on his shoulder.

"Probably not Lucy, since Natsu sealed them while using his own magic. But if he hadn't he probably would have died from blood lose." answered Wendy with a frown.

"Will he be able to compete in the S-Class exams?" asked Grey.

"Grey now is not the time to be asking such questions." scolded Erza.

"Come on Erza, you and I both know that is going to be the first thing that Flame Brain asks once he realizes that he is in the infirmary." replied Grey causing Erza to not be able to counter him since she knew that he was right.

"So far he's not that wounded, but I still haven't looked at his left arm yet." said Wendy as she finished up healing the rest of him.

"Done, there you go Wendy you can now see how bad it is." said Mira with a frown because just looking at it right now she could tell that it had bones broken in a few spots and cuts in a few other places as well. Wendy quickly went over and got to work and everyone was quite while watching the little girl set to work. And if her facial expressions indicated anything, it was not good for Natsu.

"So how is Natsu's left arm?" asked Master Makarov.

"It was not in really good shape and Natsu's really lucky that I looked at it. The doctors that tried to set the bones in place did a terrible job at it, but they are now all in the correct place and will stay that way while we put another cast on him. It should take at least a week and a half before it's healed completely, even with his fast healing." answered Wendy with a frown.

"Shit." said Grey and Gajeel at the same time.

"Natsu's going to be pissed that he can't compete in the S-Class trials this year." stated Erza with a frown.

"Yes Natsu will, but he will just have to wait until next year then." replied Master Makarov.

"Couldn't you just postpone it half a week for him to be healed?" asked Mira with a small hopeful smile.

"No I cannot Mira, that wouldn't be fair to the other mages." answered Master Makarov with a frown.

"But he was doing a special mission for the guild, doesn't that count for something?" asked Lucy knowing how hard this was going to be on Natsu.

"Yes it does and I am grateful that he did it and came back with only a bad arm. But that doesn't change the fact that I will not change when we are holding the exams." stated Master Makarov.

"Master I am sure that the other mages won't be upset to wait a few more days so that Natsu can join them." said Erza with a small smile.

"Sorry Erza but that doesn't matter either, the exams have always been held at this time of the year and will remain that way for as long as I am the guild Master." replied Master Makarov in a commanding tone.

"Well you can be the one to tell him that Master." said Mira as everyone agreed with her on not wanting to be the one who breaks the news to Natsu.

"That shouldn't be a problem, I will just tell him that he can only participate if he's fully healed." replied Master Makarov with a grin.

"So you are going to lie to Natsu?" asked Erza not believing what she was hearing.

"No I am not Erza, if Natsu does heal before we leave then he can come along with us. But if he doesn't then he will have to wait for next year, besides there is no point in telling him that he can't go until at least the day before we leave." said Master Makarov as he left the room.

 **Three Days Later:**

"Where am I?" asked Natsu as he sat up in the bed that he was in.

"You are in the infirmary my boy." replied Master Makarov who was in a chair next to his bed.

"Shit, how long have I been out and will I be able to participate in the exams Gramps?" asked Natsu worried about being disqualified because of his injuries.

"You have been out for nine days and yes you will be able to participate as long as you are fully healed Natsu." answered Master Makarov with a smile, glad to see that Natsu was alright.

"That's great news Gramps I honestly expected you to tell me that I couldn't, but now all I need to do is focus on getting better." replied Natsu with a big grin.

"I will let you do that Natsu, but what did you and Zechum talk about at the end? That is the only part of what happened that Happy didn't hear or see." asked Master Makarov.

"Oh yea that is something that I actually wanted to talk to you about. He gave me a warning that he wasn't going to be the only drake coming back to Fiore while also saying that the dragons would soon follow after wards. Which I don't know if he said that to try and get the drop on me which he almost did." said Natsu as he scratched the back of his head.

"It was probably both Natsu, and I am surprised that he even talked to you." replied Master Makarov.

"He only did that because he said that I was interesting and learned that I was a dragon slayer and son of Igneel." stated Natsu as he laid back down into the bed.

"That makes sense, but that warning is very troubling considering that there are so few dragon slayers out there. I think that I should warn the council about this and see about you getting that reward." said Master Makarov with a big smile.

"There was a reward?" asked Natsu while looking at Master Makarov.

"Of course there was Natsu, and it is quite the sum and you didn't even destroy anything meaning that you get it all." explained Master Makarov with a big smile.

"How much Gramps?" asked Natsu not really caring and was thinking about the upcoming exams.

"Just five million jewels." replied Master Makarov almost drooling at the amount of money.

"Oh okay." said Natsu as he turned over to try and get some more rest so that he would heal faster. Makarov was taken aback by Natsu not freaking out about that much money, but then realized that he was probably thinking about the exams which made Makarov have a slight frown on his face as he left the room.

 **The Night before the Exams:**

"Man I can't wait for tomorrow." cheered Natsu.

"Settle down Natsu, you still haven't been cleared to go yet." said Mira as she gave him a glass of medicine to drink.

"Doesn't matter Mira, because tomorrow morning I know that I am going to be in perfect condition." said Natsu after drinking the medicine.

"HEHEHE of course you are Natsu, now just get some more sleep." giggled Mira as she left the room and went back to the bar.

"So did you give it to him?" asked Master Makarov.

"Yes I did Master and I still think that this is a terrible idea, why don't you just tell him?" asked Mira with a frown on her face.

"Because he will just try and fight us until we let him come with us Mira and would most likely hurt himself or some other mage that is competing. And that would only make matters worse, this way by the time that he wakes up we will already be gone and he will just have to accept it." explained Master Makarov with a grin.

"I still don't think it was right for us to give him sleeping potion." replied Mira with a frown.

"Like I said Mira this was the only way to ensure that he stays here." said Master Makarov.

"I hope you're right about that Master." mumbled Mira.

 **Noon the next day:**

"What time is it?" Natsu asked slightly panicking.

"It's noon Natsu." replied Wakaba with a grin.

"And before you ask Natsu, yes they left without you because the Master said that you were still too injured to compete." said Macao with a serious face.

"That's bullshit; I could still take all of them on with just one arm. Where's Happy by the way?" asked Natsu looking around.

"Master took all of the Exceeds with them knowing that you would try to use them to take you there." said Laki with a big grin.

"Dammit Gramps you are so going to pay for this." shouted Natsu as he stormed out of the guild.

"Shouldn't one of us try and stop him?" asked Macao.

"Why, there is no way that he will be able to get there in time. That would require him taking two forms of transportation and he would still be too late to compete. He's probably just going to blow off some steam." replied Wakaba with a grin.

"I hope you are right about this." said Macao as he shook his head.

 **End of Chapter**

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Thanks for reading and I hope that you enjoyed it. So I know that there are a lot of these stories out there but I am going to try really hard to make mine different. One way that I plan on doing that is focusing a little longer on the seven years that the other members are gone and show some of the hardships that Fairy Tail had to overcome while they were gone. I also added drakes into the mix which I at least thought were going to make things a little more interesting. Well that is enough of me saying random stuff at the end so as always feel free to leave me a review and I will try to message you back if it's longer than a few words.**

 **Until the next Chapter**

 **Digem Out!**


	2. Tragedy and Loss

Ch 2: Tragedy and Loss

 **Several hours later on a small fishing boat:**

"Are you sure you're alright Salamander?" asked the owner of the boat.

"Yea just a little motion sickness." replied Natsu with all of his concentration being on not throwing up while he said that. Then quickly letting it all come out over the side of the boat where it wouldn't make a mess that someone would have to clean up.

"A little motion sickness my ass, that's the worst case of it I have ever seen while being a fisherman for the past thirty years." stated the man as he shook his head back and forth.

"I'll trust you on that one sir." replied Natsu with a weak voice as he once again emptied the contents of his stomach into the ocean.

"Which way do I need to go Salamander, since you only told me that you would be able to guide me there?" asked the older man that Natsu hired to take him to the island where the S-Class exams where being held.

Natsu only pointed to thirty degrees to the right of their current heading. Natsu had never actually been to Tenrou Island before and didn't even know if it was on any of the maps. But none of that mattered thanks to his nose which easily allowed him to follow the large group of Fairy Tail mages that he's know most for his entire life while being a member of Fairy Tail.

"I know that you told me this before, but how do you know where your friends are?" asked the man as he changed their heading to where Natsu pointed. Rather than saying anything Natsu just pointed to his nose and gave a small grin before leaning over the edge again just in case he needed to throw up.

"That must be pretty handy sometimes while also bad at other times, because look at what we're doing now. No one else could do something like this, but on the other hand how would you handle the smell of rotting fish which is something that I smell more often than I would like?" asked the man with a grin.

Instead of saying anything Natsu once again started to vomit over the side of the boat.

"AHAHAH that's what I thought, that nose of yours is a blessing while also being a curse. Which I hear is actually pretty common with any sort of blessing that people get." stated the older man with a grin.

"Can you tell how close we are to them Salamander?" asked the man who was thoroughly enjoying the ten thousand jewels that Natsu paid him to so far to just take Natsu out for a ride on his boat.

"We're getting close." mumbled Natsu being barley able to speak.

"Good to hear Salamander, it wouldn't happen to be that island off in the distance?" asked the fisherman since it was the only thing on the horizon. All he got from Natsu was a nod confirming that he was correct with his assumption.

"I have been dying to ask you this Salamander since we started this trip, but what happened to your arm?" asked the older man with a smile.

"Drake tried to bite it off." replied Natsu quickly as he once again started to hurl over the side of the boat.

"You have to be shitting me, a real live drake bit your arm and you didn't lose it?" asked the man in shock. Once again all Natsu did was nod his head signifying that it actually happened as hard as it was to believe.

"Sorry Salamander but I find that really hard to believe, wait a minute what in the world are Council ships doing all the way out here?" asked the fisherman as he looked at the large fleet that were stationed around the island. This caused Natsu to bolt upright and completely forget that he was on a form of transportation.

"What the hell are they doing here, this island is supposed to be a secret I thought?" asked Natsu knowing that no one was going to respond but then he felt a presence of magic that scared him right down to his core. And the worst part it was coming from the Island that he knew his friends and family were on.

"What in god's green world is that?" asked the fisherman who was literally shaking in his boots at the sight of a black dragon taking flight off of the island and gaining height.

"Acnologia." muttered Natsu with pure hatred in his voice as he then let out a roar that brought the fisherman to his knees while he covered his ears. Once Natsu stopped his roar the old man got up to only to be brought back down by the roar of the black dragon that was now staring at their boat.

"What in the hell are you thinking Salamander are you trying to get us killed?" asked the man as he started to fear for his life that he now assumed was going to end in a few seconds.

"No I am just trying to save my friends, thanks for the ride and you are free to go now." said Natsu as he then jumped into the air and ignited himself on fire and hurtled towards the island with the black dragon hovering above it.

 **On Tenrou Island moments before:**

"What in the hell are we supposed to do when our attacks do nothing?" asked Laxus in frustration that they didn't even leave a scratch on Acnologia.

"Not even with three dragon slayers could we hurt him." stated Gajeel as he was panting from exhaustion.

"That's why I said that we needed to run." replied Gildarts with a frown on his face.

"So what is the plan now Master?" asked Erza as they all watched Acnologia take flight and start gaining altitude.

"We stand united as a family of course." said Master Makarov with a big smile as he held out his hand for one of them to grab. Soon all of the Fairy Tail mages where in a big circle holding each other's hands and smiling at each other, while thinking about all the memories that they shared with one another. They all just waited for their impending doom.

But then from somewhere out in the ocean came a roar that all most made them cover their ears, but upon hearing it everyone could only smile knowing who made that roar. Their smiles soon turned to expressions of concern knowing that their idiot of a dragon slayer had no idea what he was getting himself into, so they started to talk while his roar went continued.

"Is that Natsu?" asked Lucy with a faint smile since this was just like Natsu to show up at the last second and save the day.

"That's Salamander alright and he sounds pissed." Gajeel said while chuckling and giving Levy a reassuring smile.

"What is that idiot doing here?" asked Master Makarov with a big smile.

"I told you Master that something like putting him to sleep wasn't going to stop him." said Mira with a big smile because just like Lucy she had gotten used to Natsu saving the day by somehow doing the impossible.

"Flame Brain even used transportation to get here." stated Grey with a big grin.

"Is that idiot trying to get Acnologia to focus on him?" asked Laxus in disbelief, because he knew that Natsu did crazy shit in his past but this was plainly just suicidal.

"Yep it's probably the only plan that he could come up with that would possibly save our lives." said Erza with a proud smile at what Natsu was trying to do and she already had plans of how she was going to punish him for doing something so reckless if they all made it out of here alive.

"AHAHAH that idiot never ceases to amaze me." said Gildarts while chuckling but was the drowned out by Acnologia roaring back at Natsu with a roar that would have most likely caused them to all pass out if it was directed at them. After Acnologia was done roaring the members of Fairy Tail all uncovered their ears and got back up to where they were standing before and looked up to see that Acnologia seemed to still be focused on them. So once again they all joined hands while looking up at the dragon that was apparently intent on killing them.

"You did your best Natsu it was a valiant try." said Master Makarov as he started to cry thinking how lucky of a Master he was to have members like he did.

"Please don't die Natsu, Fairy Tail will really need you once we're gone." said Erza with sad smile as she too started to cry knowing that if Natsu did in fact survive this as improbable as that may seem. That he would blame himself for their death and do who knows what because of it.

"Natsu." whispered almost all of the other girls with tears coming down their faces thinking along the same lines of Erza and knowing that if Acnologia didn't kill him then their deaths might finish the job.

And then they were all stunned to see a huge stream of fire smash into Acnologia's face as he was charging up his roar and left a cloud of smoke obscuring their view of the black dragon. As it cleared their hearts dropped seeing that Acnologia was acting as if he wasn't just hit and continued charging his roar like nothing happened.

"You gave it your all Salamander." said Gajeel with a big grin.

"Dammit Natsu you can't die on fairy tail too." whispered Grey as he squeezed Juvia's hand tighter.

The whole group of Fairy Tail mages looked up into the sky with smiles on their faces as Acnologia's roar came barreling down on them. And the last thing that they saw was the flaming form of Natsu Dragneel charging at Acnologia like is life depended on it, and then there was nothing.

 **Grimoire Heart Airship before Acnologia took flight:**

"Why couldn't you all just let me live in peace on that island?" asked Zeref as he looked out the front of the Airship as it slowly flew away from Tenrou Island.

Zeref then felt something that wasn't supposed to be at the island especially now that Acnologia was out and wreaking havoc on it. Then he heard the roar that confirmed his suspicions that he was just having and could only shake his head in disapproval.

"Natsu you weren't supposed to be here, you can't die on me, otherwise this torture will never end for me." said Zeref as he listened to the roar of Natsu.

"Please survive Natsu, otherwise this world will most definitely fall into chaos within a few years." said Zeref who has gotten into the habit of talking to himself, but what do you expect when you can't die and everything dies around you.

"If you do happen to survive I know that you will become stronger than anyone could possibly imagine, and will be able to change the world with every decision that you make." stated Zeref with a grin.

"I would love to meet you now Natsu but it is still too soon, but don't worry Natsu, I believe that we will most definitely see each other again." whispered Zeref to on one as the airship continued on its path away from Fiore.

 **Council Ship before Acnologia took flight:**

"Lahar please just let me go back there and save some of them." begged Doranbolt as he was being held by two Rune Knights.

"And do what Doranbolt, bring Acnologia's attention our way?" asked Lahar which caused Doranbolt to stop fighting and hang his head in defeat.

"Besides this is going to accomplish what the Council wanted you to do." stated Lahar while he stared at the island.

"But that was only going to be the disbanding of Fairy Tail not the annihilation of it." shouted Doranbolt.

"Doranbolt there are still other members of Fairy Tail out there, like that Natsu Dragneel that the Council is always complaining about. But unfortunately he's not on this island so he might still be a problem for the Council as Fairy Tail slowly dies off after losing their strongest members here today." stated Lahar with an expressionless face.

"How the fuck can you say that Lahar, these are good mages that have always helped those in need? Especially Natsu, and you stand here saying that you want him to die along with the rest of Fairy Tail's best just so the Council doesn't have to do a little more paper work!" shouted Doranbolt as he tried to get at Lahar for being such a cold hearted bastard.

"I don't want that Doranbolt I was just pointing out that it would have made things easier for the council." stated Lahar as he watched Acnologlia take flight.

"Well the Council is lucky that he isn't since it seems that we might have more drakes popping up if what the first drake told Natsu was true. I would also like to point out that we would still be dealing with that right now if it wasn't for him." stated Doranbolt angrily.

"Doranbolt I have nothing against Fairy Tail and am only following my orders just like you. Honestly Fiore is lucky that they have been there when we needed them the most." stated Lahar.

"I don't fucking get you at all." said Doranbolt who was then startled by a ferocious roar coming out from the sea.

"What in the world is that?" asked Lahar as he turned to Doranbolt.

"It sounds like another dragon." replied Doranbolt as he started to scan the sky for one.

"You have to be kidding me this was just supposed to be taking down Fairy Tail but then Grimoire Heart showed up. That was something that we could handle, but then their came the reports that Zeref might have been involved too. But no Acnologia came in to destroy everything and apparently bringing another dragon with him." said Lahar in disbelief at this situation.

Doranbolt was going to say something back to him when Acnologia roared back at the first roar and this time they all dropped to their knees at the power and how loud it was. They finally got back up after Acnologia finished his roar and were surprised to see that he was once again concentrated on the island and not caring about whatever made that first roar.

"What is he planning on doing?" asked Lahar as they watched Acnologia start charging his roar.

"He's going to take out the whole island." stated Doranbolt while feeling responsible for the lives that were soon going to be lost.

"What in the hell is that?" asked a Rune Knight as he pointed to the sky and they watched as a ball of fire shot a huge stream of fire right at Acnologia's face.

"Dear lord it's actually trying to fight Acnologia, who is stupid enough to do something like that?" asked Lahar in complete disbelief at what he's witnessing.

"That would be the one and only Natsu Dragneel the Salamander." replied Doranbolt who couldn't help but smile but was instantly lost as he then watched Acnologia unleash his charged up roar on the island. Everyone just stared at the place that once had an island that was literally reduced to absolutely nothing by being hit by just one of Acnologia's attacks.

There was once again a roar but this time it sounded like a dragon that was ready to do one thing only and that was to kill it's enemies. Which exactly what it looked like Natsu was trying to do as they watched him fly at Acnologia and start hitting random parts of the dragon's huge body.

"Alright men let's move out before Acnologia turns on us." stated Lahar as he turned away from the fight as his men quickly followed his order's because they all would really prefer if they weren't around when Acnologia was done with Natsu.

"We have to help Natsu." shouted Doranbolt who was still being restrained by two Rune Knights.

"He was dead Doranbolt as soon as he attacked Acnologia and I will not have any of my men die pointlessly while I can do something about it. Knights, keep a constant watch on Doranbolt and to not let him get away from you." commanded Lahar as he walked away from them.

"Yes sir." shouted the Rune Knights in response as they continued to hold Doranbolt.

Doranbolt looked back at the fight as he watched Acnologia swipe at something and see a small dot get launched into the water. Acnologia let out a small victory roar and then took off not caring about the Council ships in the slightest.

"I am so sorry Fairy Tail, Natsu please forgive me for not being able to do what you just did." said Doranbolt as he started to cry.

 **With Acnologia after Fairy Tail's attacks did nothing:**

"Well it was fun playing around with these insects, I think it's about time that I end this." thought Acnologia as he took flight and watched the pitiful human start holding each other's hands as if that was going to help them.

"A simple roar should reduce them to nothing." thought Acnologia as he smirked at the look of despair on some of their faces; it was truly the best part of doing what he's known for. Acnologia just loved to listen to them beg and scream for mercy which he has never once shown any of his opponents in battle and never will.

Then came a roar and a flare of magic that caught Acnologia off guard. But what shocked him more was the fact that this roar actually caused the insects underneath him to actually smile and actually have to look of hope return to all of them. This made Acnologia wonder who was the owner of this roar that was going on and then finally came to the realization that it must have been another dragon slayer that belonged to the group underneath him.

"If only he was here with you guys you all might have actually stood a chance if I felt his amount of magic correctly. But alas he wasn't and now he's going to have to watch all of you die right in front of him." thought Acnologia with a sickening smile spreading across his mouth as the roar stopped.

"Time to bring him here." thought Acnologia as he let out his own roar in reply to the stranger and afterwards started to build up a devastating roar that he was only going to release once the dragon slayer got close enough to see his friends.

"Just a little bit closer." thought Acnologia as he watched the flaming person come from his peripherals. The next thing Acnologia knew he was hit by the roar of this dragon slayer that came from nowhere but still wasn't able to pierce his scales.

"I was definitely correct about you slayer, you have power that most would do anything to obtain, that attack almost got through my scales. But it is truly a shame that you now are going to die by my hands now, you would have made for a good opponent in a few years." thought Acnologila as he unleashed his roar onto the island which then vanished.

"Hmm my roar shouldn't have gotten rid of the whole island." thought Acnologia as he looked at the spot that no longer had an Island. Another roar was let loose right in front of Acnologia along with the slayer's magic spiking to levels unheard of for someone as young as the slayer in front of him.

"I'll kill you for taking them away from me Acnologia!" shouted the slayer as launched himself at Acnologia with speeds that the dragon had troubles following. And the slayer started to attack away at Acnologia who couldn't pin down the position of the Slayer because he only stayed in one spot for two attacks at most and moved to somewhere completely different. The slayer was literally going to spots that were not important at all but did that only to make sure that Acnologia wouldn't be able to predict where he might end up.

"You would have made a good opponent in a few years slayer." said Acnologia with a chuckle because this was the first time that he had talked to a human in over a hundred years because in his opinion none of them were worthy to hear his voice.

But this slayer was different than all of the other humans and even the other slayers that Acnologia has fought with, but this one fought with his life truly on the line which is something that most humans are too afraid to do. But not this one and from what Acnologia could tell this was how he treated all of his fights, he was literally ready to die in this fight which gave him the ability to do things that a normal person wouldn't.

"What are you talking about would have been a good opponent? **FIRE DRAGON'S PIERCING CLAW!"** asked Natsu as he then shouted out his attack and hit Acnologia at the base of his right wing.

"Why you little bitch that actually hurt." said Acnologia as swatted where Natsu was once at but he was already landing another **FIRE DRAGON'S PIERCING CLAW** on his tail.

"You do realize that you are barely hurting me slayer?" asked Acnologia in annoyance as Natsu landed a few more of those hits on various parts of his body each time they just barely making it through his scales.

"Yes, but I told you that I was going to kill you for taking away my friends." stated Natsu as he continued his fast attacks on Acnologia.

"You are going to run out of energy soon here slayer and when you do I am going to enjoy eating you." taunted Acnologia who stopped trying to swat Natsu down and was actually coming up with another plan to end the life of this infuriating slayer.

"I can do this all day Acnologia if it means that I get to end you and your reign of terror." shouted Natsu as he stuck with his plan that so far has been working quite well. Which was using Acnologia's size and ever so slightly slower speed to his advantage but it was really starting to take a toll on Natsu even while he was in dragon force.

"I am surprised that you were able to achieve the first stage of dragon force Slayer, and I am also wondering why you only said that I took away your friends and not killed them?" asked Acnologia as he just came up with a way to end this pitiful fight, which was sadly the best that he's had for years considering that the little slayer could get through his scales.

"That's because they somehow got away before your roar reached them." stated Natsu as he kept assaulting Acnologia.

"That is a very keen eye you have their slayer, I thought something was fishy with the whole island disappearing, too bad that whenever they return you won't be waiting for them. So what is your name slayer and this is a great honor that I have only shown a few opponents?" asked Acnologia with a big grin.

"It's Natsu Dragneel the son of Igneel the Fire Dragon King." said Natsu proudly as he landed a blow at one of the spots he attacked earlier and finally drew blood from the mighty Acnologia. Who only had a sinister grin as he let out a large amount of magic that launched Natsu away from Acnologia which was exactly what he was waiting for since up till Natsu was always right next to him and on the move.

With a swipe of his left arm Acnologia made contact with Natsu's head and then watched him plummet into the sea like a rocket. Acnologia looked at his claws seeing the slayers blood on them but not as much as he would have wanted so he looked at the sea waiting for the slayer to emerge from the ocean in all his fiery glory and commence the fight. But that didn't happen so Acnologia let out his victory roar and took off to look for something else to amuse him.

"Natsu Dragneel that name sounds familiar for some reason, guess it doesn't matter now that he's dead but you were the first to make me bleed I will definitely remember your name Natsu Dragneel. And to think that Igneel could have raised such a strong slayer, I have to hand it to that old lizard he sure knows how to pick them. Maybe I should try and find him so that I can be the one to tell him that I killed his precious son." thought Acnologia with a sadistic grin on his face as he flew off into the distance.

 **On a boat with two ex-Grimoire Heart mages before any of the roars:**

"Come on Meredy we need to get out of here as fast as we can." stated Ultear who was no longer in her Grimoire Heart uniform and was wearing civilian clothing. But before Meredy could respond, who also was in similar attire as Ultear, a loud roar came from farther ahead of them causing them to cover their ears.

"What in the world was that Ultear?" shouted Meredy as the roar continued and they both still had their ears covered.

"I don't know Meredy and would prefer if we didn't find out." replied Ultear with a worried look wondering what fresh hell was upon them now as if Acnologia wasn't enough.

"Thank goodness it stopped." said Meredy with a smile directed at Ultear but was quickly followed by the roar from Acnologia causing them both to cover their ears again.

"You just had to say that didn't you?" asked Ultear with a small smile.

"Someone had to." replied Meredy with her own little smile, glad that Ultear wasn't going to leave her.

"What do you think that was all about?" asked Meredy as soon as Acnologia's roar stopped.

"That." was Ultear's response as she pointed to a flaming body flying through the sky.

"What in the world was that?" asked Meredy having never seen anything like that.

"That would be the Salamander, Natsu Dragneel one might even call him the true Ace of Fairy Tail since he comes to save the day when no one else can." explained Ultear as they both watched him fly at Acnologia.

"He isn't going to try and fight Acnologia is he Ultear?" asked Meredy who knew that such a thing would be suicide. But before Ultear could answer they watched as Natsu unleashed his own fiery roar onto Acnologia, which definitely answered Meredy's question.

But watching the whole island disappear as Acnologia's roar made contact scared both of them so much that they could only just sit there and watch as Natsu attacked Acnologia.

"He's actually fighting him." said Meredy in complete shock that Natsu wasn't instantly killed.

"Yea and I want to get a better view." said Ultear as she sent out her orb to get a closer look while not endangering their lives any more than they already were. And what they saw was astonishing, not only was Natsu not dying he was actually taking off a few of Acnologia's scales with his punches.

"And he was supposed to be on this island when we attacked Fairy Tail?" asked Meredy who was really happy that Natsu wasn't because from what she was seeing none of them would have had a chance.

"Yes he was supposed to be but lucky for us on his last mission he got injured." stated Ultear as she watched the two power houses battle it out and listen to the few words that they were exchanging.

"What could have possibly hurt a mage like that?" asked Meredy.

"A drake which is just a different type of dragon." answered Ultear quickly since she didn't want to miss anything that the two of them said to each other.

"Wow that's pretty impressive." stated Meredy with a small smile.

"No way!" shouted Ultear in disbelief.

"What did they say Ultear?" asked Meredy because she wasn't listening to the two talk while they fought she was too mesmerized by Natsu's speed and strength.

"The Fairy Tail mages are still alive somehow." stated Ultear.

"But how, the whole island's gone?" asked Meredy but didn't even care about the answer because she saw something that she didn't want to see. And that was seeing Natsu finally taking a hit and falling from the sky into the ocean which would be his final resting place.

"No." gasped Meredy as she watched Natsu sink into the ocean thanks to Ultear's orb.

"We have to do something Ultear." said Meredy as she shook Ultear who looked like she was really focused on something while also waiting for something else to happen.

"Ultear what are you doing, he needs our help." said Meredy as Acnologia let out his victory roar and took off.

"There, since he's finally gone we can now go and get him." replied Ultear with a smile.

"What are you talking about Ultear?" asked Meredy as Ultear started to steer the little ship to where Natsu fell in.

"I did exactly what you wanted Meredy, once Natsu went into the ocean I caught him with a few of my orbs and then removed the water around him with my arc of time. But I had to wait until Acnologia left otherwise all of that would be for nothing." said Ultear as they got closer to where Natsu was.

"Is he still alive after that hit?" asked Meredy realizing that Natsu actually could have died from a hit like that. Actually she now thought that it would be a miracle if he was alive because a normal mage would definitely be dead, but then again what she just saw of Natsu proved to Meredy that he was anything but normal.

"Remarkably Natsu just barely moved out of the way from that being a fatal attack. But he might have lost an eye in the process of dodging it and preventing that attack from taking his whole head off." explained Ultear as she stopped the boat and floated Natsu over to them with her orbs lifting him up.

"Oh dear lord." said Meredy who looked at Natsu's face which now had three deep cuts going from the middle of his forehead and then going over his left eye at a downwards angle ending just past his cheekbone. There was so much blood that Meredy couldn't tell if his left eye was even there or not and she was really hoping that it was for his sake because it would definitely take him a long time to adjust to one eye.

"Stop just staring at him Meredy and help me clean and bandaged his wounds." said Ultear in a motherly tone that broke Meredy out over her staring at Natsu's wounds.

"Sorry Ultear." replied Meredy as she quickly started to help Ultear with cleaning the wounds. A few minutes later Natsu's left half of his upper face was completely wrapped in bandages.

"Why isn't he awake yet Ultear?" asked Meredy as they started to head back to the mainland of Fiore.

"He probably just got knocked out by that hit Meredy, you saw how fast he flew into the water." stated Ultear she was driving their boat.

"So what are we going to do with him?" asked Meredy who just realized that she never even thought about what they would do once they saved him from drowning.

"Take him to Fairy Tail of course." replied Ultear with a small smile.

"Are you sure that's wise Ultear, we are still wanted because of being members of Grimoire Heart." stated Meredy with a frown.

"Yes that is true, but we can't just leave him somewhere where he could get mugged or killed by some stranger. Fairy Tail will need his strength now more than ever before Meredy and this will be the first good thing that I have done for a long time. But it definitely won't be the last I promise you that Meredy and that is a promise I intend to keep." said Ultear with a small smile and a look of determination in her eyes.

"You forgot about putting that village back to its original state." said Natsu as he sat up, shocking both of the girls so much that they almost fell out of the boat.

"Easy you two, sorry about that, I didn't think that you would freak out like that." said Natsu as he started to fiddle with his bandages.

"How long have you been awake?" asked Ultear who has already encountered Natsu and knows that he isn't as dumb as he would like everyone else to believe.

"Long enough to know that you two saved me when you didn't have to and also that you were once members of Grimoire Heart which is one of the two remaining heads of the Balam Alliance. I also know that you two were going to risk getting captured to take me back to Fairy Tail. What I don't know is why ex members of Grimoire Heart were at Tenrou Island and why do you two have the scents of a few of my friends on you." said Natsu as he ripped off the bandages causing the wounds to start bleeding again.

"Hey why did you do that, we went to a lot of trouble to get you all bandage up?" asked Meredy in an angry voice that just made Natsu chuckle.

"And I am grateful for that, but if I left them there then I couldn't do this." said Natsu as he shot fire at his face stunning both Meredy and Ultear by his strange action. They were both about to ask him what in the hell was he doing when he stopped shooting flames and showed them what he just did.

"So how do they look?" asked Natsu with a grin on his face as looked at the two girls with him. They were both amazed that he would go about sealing up his wounds in such a way that definitely ensured that they were going to leave scars, even though the chances of that were already really high.

"I would say that you look very intimidating Salamander." said Ultear with a little grin as she looked at the three big scars that went over his left eye and surprisingly didn't get the eye in the process.

"You can say that again, but how did Acnologia leave you with three cuts that close together?" asked Meredy as she stared at Natu's new scars.

"Well my best guess is that he brought his claws together knowing that he was going to hit me and wanted to inflict as much damage as possible. But let's get back to why you two were on the island and smell like you met with some of my friends?" asked Natsu with a very serious expression on his face.

"I will tell you but promise that you won't hurt Meredy since she was only following me and didn't know any better." said Ultear with a steely glare meaning that this was none negotiable.

"I see no problem with that, and can't possibly see why I would even want to hurt her." replied Natsu.

"You might change your opinion on that after I tell you what happened, so do you promise Natsu?" asked Ultear.

"Yes Ultear, I promise that I won't hurt Meredy after you tell me what happened." said Natsu with a grin. After that Ultear went into full detail of what happened on the island. Well everything that she knew about and what she heard from other members that she ran into while fleeing the island.

"So that's what happened and Natsu you promised that you wouldn't hurt Meredy so if you feel like attacking someone then you can take it out on me." said Ultear with a little frown and closed her eyes expecting to receive a fiery punch.

"Why on earth would I attack the people that just saved me?" asked Natsu with a confused face as he looked at Ultear.

"Well because of what we did to your friends of course." stated Ultear.

"AHAHAH that's why you thought that I would attack you." said Natsu while chuckling as if he just heard a funny joke.

"Why are you laughing Natsu, this is a serious situation?" asked Meredy with a glare.

"Sorry you two, but you are seriously making this bigger than it actually is and I will show you why. So first question for you two did either of you kill anyone from Fairy Tail?" asked Natsu with a small grin and both of the girls shook their heads no.

"Okay second question did either of you do something to them that would cause them to be disfigured or not able to do things like the used to? What I am trying to ask is, did any of the damage that you caused them going to be permanent?" asked Natsu.

"No I don't think either of us did." replied Ultear as she looked at Natsu who was just grinning at them.

"See no reason for me to get mad at either of you." said Natsu as he still grinned at them.

"But what about everything that we did before this don't you want to get back at us for doing terrible things in our past?" asked Ultear who felt like she needed to be punished for all of the terrible crimes that she had already committed.

"That's in the past and attacking you now when you are planning on doing things to make up for what you did wrong before would be just stupid." replied Natsu with a grin.

"You are too nice Natsu." said Ultear with a small smile.

"Only to people that deserve it, because trust me right now I have a few people that I wouldn't mind kicking the crap out of." stated Natsu with a smirk.

"You're weird Natsu." said Meredy with a big grin.

"Thanks Meredy, so what do you two plan to do now?" asked Natsu as he leaned against the side of the boat with a grin on his lips.

"I don't actually know, maybe just go around helping people that we run into." said Ultear not really knowing what she or Meredy were going to do.

"Then I have a suggestion that might fix all of that and also make it so you two to don't have to always be on the run from the Council." said Natsu with a smug grin.

"And what would that be the wise and all-knowing Salamander?" asked Ultear in a teasing tone.

"Well if you are just going to make fun of me then I don't think I am going to tell you." stated Natsu in a childish tone that caused Ultear to start giggling.

"Oh no did I hurt the big bad Salamander's feelings by making comments about his intelligence?" asked Ultear once again in that teasing tone.

"No you didn't Ultear because I have been hearing those sorts of things pretty much my whole life. I am not telling you two because I have a feeling that you guys can't stand not knowing what exactly is going on." replied Natsu with a smug smirk on his face as Ultear just glared at him because he was right on the money with that guess.

"Sorry Natsu but you are wrong about that." stated Ultear not wanting to admit that Natsu was correct about his assumption.

"Well if that is the case then you can wait until we reach Hargeon." replied Natsu with a big grin.

"Won't be a problem Natsu, and aren't you supposed to be really sick right now since you are on a mode of transportation?" asked Ultear with devious grin.

"Oh crap why did you remind me." said Natsu as he turned a sickly color and started to hang over the side of the boat moaning out in discomfort. The whole time that he was doing this Ultear was giggle as if it was the funniest thing that she had ever seen.

"You two are both weird." said Meredy with a big grin as she watched Natsu all of a sudden get a severe case of motion sickness while Ultear on the other hand was laughing more than she ever had in all the years that she's known her. And it was something that Meredy wanted to see more of and knew that it was happening all because of the pink headed dragon slayer that was halfway out of their boat right now.

So the rest of their boat ride was pretty much more of that, Natsu mumbling about how he would never get on a form of transportation and how it was the evilest thing in the world and how one day he would destroy them all so he would never have to suffer again. And Ultear would just sit back and laugh at the poor dragon slayer and every once in a while ask Natsu what his idea was, hoping that he would just tell her to get his mind off of being on a boat. But that never happened and the whole time Meredy just sat and watched the two of them do their own things while she just had a smile on her face.

When they finally got back to the mainland of Fiore it was already dark so they decided to camp for the night since none of them had any jewels on them. Natsu got a big fire going for them and put a big boar on top of it that he somehow killed and wouldn't tell Meredy or Ultear how. They were all right now sitting around the fire eating big pieces of the boar that was their supper for the day.

"So Natsu are you going to tell us your brilliant plan?" asked Ultear with a smirk.

"Sure, why not since I said I would when we reached dry land." replied Natsu with a grin and didn't say anything else.

"Come on Natsu please just tell us." begged Meredy as she gave him the puppy dog eyes which were over kill for something that Natsu was going to tell them.

"Okay, here it is, why don't you two join Fairy Tail." suggested Natsu with a grin.

"What, you can't be serious?" shouted Ultear in disbelief.

"I wouldn't joke about something like this Ultear and Fairy Tail could definitely use two strong mages like you two." replied Natsu with a big grin.

"Really you think we could join Fairy Tail Natsu?" asked Meredy with big eyes.

"Yep, won't be a problem with me supporting you two." said Natsu as he looked at Meredy who looked really excited about this idea.

"Natsu what if the rest of the guild isn't as forgiving as you are?" asked Ultear who was starting to try and think up reasons why this wouldn't work.

"They might not be right away but this isn't the first time that we took someone who used to be our enemy and made them part of our crazy family. And besides if you want to think about this in a different way, then think about this being a way that I can keep an eye on you two and make sure that you two have actually changed for good and aren't going to go back to your old ways." said Natsu with a big grin.

"Can we Ultear, this seems like a really good deal that we might never get again." said Meredy excitedly right next to Ultear.

"What about the Council Natsu, they aren't going to let you just take in a dark mage that was part of the old council and destroyed it. This alone would give them reasons to try and disband Fairy Tail." pointed out Ultear.

"Ultear you saw them at Tenrou Island, they were already trying to do that to us so having you two join Fairy Tail isn't going to change that since they already were trying to get rid of us. As for them trying to get either of you two they will have to get through me first, and let's just say that I don't think that they are going to want and make me more of an enemy than I already am when a drake invasion is a possibility." said Natsu with a big grin on his face.

"How does that change anything Natsu?" asked Ultear.

"It gives me a huge bargaining chip Ultear, especially since the other dragon slayers except for Cobra are gone. And we are the only mages that can even damage drakes since they are draconic creatures, just look at what happened with the first one that showed up. The Council did everything that they could and then finally had to specifically ask for me to get rid of that dam lizard because they couldn't do anything themselves." explained Natsu with a big grin.

"Yea that is something you could use against them, but I don't think that it will work for something as big as this Natsu." replied Ultear.

"If it isn't then I will fight off anyone that they send to try and take you two." declared Natsu still having a grin on his face.

"You would become and enemy of the Council just to have us join your guild Natsu?" asked Meredy who was stunned to hear that he would do that for them.

"Yep and like I said before I am not a fan of those stuck up bastards any way and they sure as hell don't like me." stated Natsu with a grin.

"You know that they would be able to arrest you for going against them." pointed out Ultear who wanted to make sure that Natsu knew exactly what he was getting himself into by proposing this idea.

"Yea and so what if I have to sit in a cell for a few days or even a few months that's noting. I know that eventually they will come to beg for my help when the next drake comes to Fiore and starts going on a rampage and I will sit back and just laugh at them. The only why that I will do anything for them is if they give me what I want which is you two being forgiven of your past crimes and being members of Fairy Tail." declared Natsu with complete confidence in his plan.

"Actually this might work if we add a few things like alerting the press about the possibility of more drakes coming and dragon slayers being the only ones who can do anything about them. Also tell them in advance that you would willingly go against the council if they try to take any of the members of Fairy Tail away and won't help if another drake shows up if they do such a thing." suggested Ultear with a little grin.

"How will letting the public know about this change anything?" asked Natsu while scratching the back of his head.

"You are forgetting Natsu that I used to be on the Council and the public opinion is actually our strongest weapon against them. Because they can't have the citizens of Fiore thinking poorly of them especially after what happened with the last Council. So we are going to use your trump card along with the news and the fact that you already took out a drake for the Council and make this actually work." explained Ultear with a big grin.

"Glad to hear that you are on board Ultear." replied Natsu with a big grin.

"I am only agreeing because I have already learned that once you set your mind on something there is nothing that is going to get in your way of achieving it. And it is a hell of a lot better to be with you rather than being against you." said Ultear with a big smile.

"Damn right, and right now I want you and Meredy to be part of Fairy Tail." said Natsu still having that grin on his face causing Ultear to have a faint blush tint her cheeks.

"Yea, I can't believe I am going to be joining the guild that I was literally enemies with this morning." cheered Meredy.

"That you are Meredy and I just know that everyone else at Fairy Tail is going to love you two." replied Natsu with a big smile as he laid down.

"You really think so Natsu?" asked Meredy.

"Yep, but it might take a little while but trust me when I say this. They will eventually come around and when they do, they too will be more than happy to go against the Council to keep you around because that is what family is willing to do for one another." explained Natsu with a smirk on his face as he thought about all the crazy things that Fairy Tail has done to keep their family together.

"Having a family sounds nice." stated Ultear with a small smile.

"It is, and you two are already apart of one, the rest of them just don't know it yet." replied Natsu with a really big grin spread across his face.

"You really are weird Natsu, in more ways than one." said Meredy with a big smile.

"I know Meredy you have already told me that a few times today. And I keep telling you thank you for the complement, but I do think it's time that we all go to sleep because tomorrow is going to be a big day. I have to tell the rest of the guild that the group on the Tenrou Island is going to be gone for who knows how long, but at least we gained two new members." said Natsu with a faint smile as he settled in for the night.

"Are we going to tell them about our past right away Natsu?" asked Ultear as she got ready to sleep.

"Of course we are, right after you two get your stamps of course." replied Natsu with a big smirk.

"Well aren't you being the clever little dragon." said Ultear in her teasing tone.

"I am a dragon but there is nothing that is little about me Ultear." responded Natsu.

"And I will believe you on that Natsu." replied Ultear in sultry tone as she looked at him causing Natsu to have a faint blush just because of how she said those words.

"You two are both weird." stated Meredy as she turned away from them and them with a big smile on her face. That was the last of their conversation for the night as they all drifted off to sleep.

They woke just as the sun was rising and headed off to Magnolia and to Natsu's relief not in any form of transportation since none of them had any jewels. As they walked they got to know each other a lot better, learning about their pasts and things such as everyone's likes and dislikes. Pretty much the things that your family would know about you, Meredy and Ultear were at first hesitant to give out such personal information. Which Natsu said he understood and said that they never had to tell him anything that they didn't want to and then went on to tell them all about his past. This caused both Meredy and Ultear to slowly open up to Natsu and then finally tell him pretty much everything about themselves and the whole time that he listened to their story he never once looked at them with disgust at some of the things that they did. That was something that Meredy and Ultear both really appreciated and as soon as they got into Magnolia Ultear did her part of the plan which was easy since all she had do was talk with a reporter for a bit. After that they were just now coming up to the guild hall of Fairy Tail.

"Well here's your two's new home." said Natsu as they were walking towards it.

"It's so big." said Meredy as she looked at the big building.

"Yea the last time it got destroyed Gramps decided to build it a bit bigger, I didn't like it at first but it's finally grown on me." replied Natsu with a big grin.

"I am honestly getting nervous here, what if you're wrong Natsu and they never accept us like you think they will?" asked Ultear in a nervous manner.

"Don't worry about that Ultear I promise that they will like you two and if not then I will make them." said Natsu as he had a mischievous grin spread across his face and lit his right hand on fire.

"You would do that to your own members and family?" asked Meredy is shock that Natsu would instantly go to fighting them if they didn't accept Ultear and her.

"No not at first but if..." said Natsu who then started to growl because they were close enough to the guild that he could smell what was going on inside of it.

"Natsu what's wrong?" asked Ultear as she watched Natsu change in an instant from the fun having guy that they were with for the whole day. Into someone who looked like he was ready to fight Acnologia again and this time win.

"Those fucking bastards had to make it here before me didn't they, oh they are so going to get a god dam earful." said Natsu as he took off for the guild with Meredy and Ultear following closely behind him. Both concerned at what could make Natsu this angry in a split second.

 **End of Chapter**

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Thanks for reading everyone and I hope that you enjoyed it. So there's the second chapter and I think that I might want to explain how Ultear got rid of the water around Natsu. The way that I at least reasoned how she did that was she just sent the water into the future where it wouldn't be there any more or it would actually evaporate. Just wanted to explain that in a little more detail in case someone was wondering how she pulled that off. Alright well like I think I said at the end of the other chapter I plan on focusing on the seven years that the rest of Fairy Tail is gone longer than most people do with similar stories. So as always feel free to leave me a review and I will try to respond back to you and answer any questions you have.**

 **Until the next Chapter**

 **Digem Out!**


	3. Explanations

Ch 3: Explanations

 **Earlier at Fairy Tail:**

"So who do you think's going to be the next S-Class mage of Fairy Tail?" asked Nab as he stood in front of the request board.

"My money's on Cana, she's had the most experience in competing at these exams and knows what to expect." stated Wakaba with a confident grin.

"Mine would have been on Natsu if he wasn't left behind." said Macao with a grin.

"Even with him having that cast?" asked Jet.

"Yep, something as little as that wouldn't hold Natsu back." replied Macao still grinning at the thought of Natsu punching at anyone in his path with just his right arm.

"You do have a point there Macao, nothing can keep that guy down." said Droy as he unconsciously rubbed the side of his face, which happened to be the place where Natsu punched him last in one of their brawls.

"Yea nothing can stop Natsu, but where is he, doesn't he usually show up by now?" asked Jet who was now looking around for the pink headed dragon slayer.

"I told you guys that we should have went after Natus when he stormed out of here." stated Macao in a smug manner.

"He's probably still blowing off steam about not getting to participate in the exams Macao. And like you said there was a really high chance that he would have won it this year too." replied Wakaba.

"No kidding, he did that S-Class quest and completed it when no one else could." said Nab still standing in front of the board looking for the perfect job.

"It might have actually been higher than a regular S-Class request too, considering that he had to kill a drake. And those things were thought to be extinct along with the dragons, but then again Natsu was raised by a dragon so drakes still being around shouldn't be that surprising." said Laki as she joined the conversation.

"You have to be kidding me, it might have been higher than just a normal S-Class quest?" asked Jet in disbelief.

"Yep which is why I would have bet on Natsu even with one of his arms in a cast, like Macao." said Lak.

"Dam Laki, I thought that you would have been betting on Cana or Levy since they are women." stated Droy in shock since Laki usually sees all men as evil.

"I am rooting for them, but if I was going to bet I would have put it on the one who was going to most likely win." stated Laki as if it was obvious.

"Well we can all agree that Natsu is a strong member of Fairy Tail that unfortunately will have to wait until next year to become S-Class." said Wakaba with a proud grin.

"So who do you thinks going to become S-Class since Natsu is out Macao?" asked Jet.

"That would be either Cana or Grey, but I am hoping for Cana since she's been trying for this for so long." replied Macao with a grin remembering the times that he and Wakaba had to help cheer up the girl after her not becoming S-Class. It's actually how they became so close and Macao started to see her as the daughter that he never had.

"I am sure that Levy is going to win." declared Droy which everyone expected.

"Yea I am going to have to agree with Droy on this, and I hate to admit this but Levy having Gajeel as her partner is really going to help her." stated Jet.

"I forgot that he was Levy's partner that definitely makes her a really strong contender who would be right up there with Cana and Grey." said Macao as he rubbed his chin. They all then heard a knock at their door which was something that they have never heard before and when they looked to see who it was they were shocked to see two men in Council Uniforms that placed them in the Rune Knights section of the Council.

"What does the Council want, you guys know that this is when we do our S-Class exams so the Master isn't here?" asked Wakaba with a little hostility in his voice.

"That is what we are actually here about." replied Lahar with an expressionless face.

"What the hell are you guys talking about?" asked Macao angrily.

"What we are talking about is…" said Lahar with a small scowl, since he wasn't a fan of being talked down to by mages from any guild.

"I should be the one to tell them." said Doranbolt cutting Lahar off.

"You know that you don't have to do this Doranbolt." responded Lahar with a frown since Doranbolt seemed dead set on telling Fairy Tail about what happened.

"Yes I know that Lahar, but it's the least I can do for them after what happened." replied Doranbolt with his own frown.

"Mest what are you doing back already and where are the others?" asked Droy as he looked for Levy.

"Better question, what the hell are you doing in a Council Uniform and why is he calling you Doranbolt?" asked Laki as she pointed a finger at Lahar, Doranbolt then let out a long sigh.

"He's calling me Doranbolt because that is my name; Mest was just the name I used to infiltrate Fairy Tail under the Councils orders to find something to get you disbanded. That is also the explanation of why I am wearing this uniform because I was never actually a part of Fairy Tail, which is why I went to your S-Class exams to see if there was anything there that we could us on you." explained Doranbolt as all of the Fairy Tail members became shocked then turned really angry at the person that moments ago they thought was a friend and member.

"We ought to beat the living shit out of you right now for betraying us." declared Jet as he got ready to fight if need be.

"We treated you as one of our own." said Laki as she glared at Doranbolt and was also ready to fight.

"I think that you should probably leave right now Mest or whatever the fuck your name is before we do end up attacking you." said Wakaba as he sent a cloud of smoke at Doranbolt causing him to cough.

"But where's the rest of the S-Class contestants and the rest of them?" asked Droy who was more concerned about Levy then the traitor that was in front of him.

"That's what I wanted to tell you guys." said Doranbolt with his head down.

"Well then spit it out you traitorous dog and then leave and never come back." said Macao with a steely glare.

"I don't know how else to say this, but they are all dead." said Doranbolt as he started to cry quietly.

"What the fuck are you saying, there's no way that they all could have died." shouted Jet as he grabbed the collar of Doranbolt.

"I wish it wasn't so Jet but I saw it with my own eyes, they're all dead." said Doranbolt as he continued to cry.

"But how, they were all so strong?" asked Wakaba who's pipe was on the ground because of how shocked he was.

"It it it it was was…" replied Doranbolt unable to get it out because of all the guilt that he felt for not being able to save any of them. And they were all great mages that were always helping out others which only made it harder on Doranbolt and his conscious.

"It was Acnologia that caused the death of all of your members that were on Tenrou Island. His attack was so strong that Tenrou Island was completely wiped off the face of the world. I am truly sorry for your loss, they were all great mages that shouldn't have died that way." explained Lahar with that expressionless face of his.

"This has to be some sick joke, right?" asked Droy who didn't want to believe it and was already starting to cry.

"How could this happen?" asked Macao who was crying and didn't care at all who saw.

"They're all really gone." stated Laki as she too broke down and started to cry. Every other member at Fairy Tail was now crying because they could all see that Lahar and Doranbolt were not trying to pull some sick joke on them. And in fact were telling them the truth that their family and friends were all dead.

"Oh dear lord, Natsu will destroy half of Magnolia when he hears about this." stated Wakaba who realized that the dragon slayer wasn't here yet.

"That won't be happening." stated Lahar still showing no emotions.

"Why are you going to lock him up?" asked Macao who was now directing all of his emotions towards the two men.

"No because Acnologia killed him after Natsu tried to save the lives of your fellow members." said Lahar.

"That's impossible he wasn't even there." stated Wakaba since he and Macao were the only ones able to actually talk since everyone was crying, which only increased after hearing that Natsu was gone as well.

"He showed up at the last second and let out a roar that was definitely his. Natsu then attacked Acnologia trying to get him to not focus on everyone else but Acnologia didn't care and just took out the whole Island. After which Acnologia and Natsu battled for a while and then he fell into the ocean." explained Doranbolt finally being able to speak and tell the rest of Fairy Tail how heroically Natsu died, while doing everything that he could to protect his friends.

"This can't be happening, not him as well." stated Macao as he went back to crying.

"This is the end of Fairy Tail." said Wakaba as he joined Macao and everyone else in crying. That is until they heard a roar and the front doors of the guild exploded with flames flying everywhere and standing where the doors once were, was none other than Natsu Dragneel.

"Don't any of you listen to these fucking cowardly liars for another god dam second." shouted Natsu as he was covered in flames and looked like he was ready to attack.

"Natsu?" asked absolutely everyone there.

"Yes, and I am here to tell you that these two pieces of shits here have no fucking idea what happened because they were hiding on their goddam boats sitting back as everyone else fought for their lives." shouted Natsu who still had flames going around him.

"How are you still alive, I saw you get hit by Acnologia?" asked Doranbolt with a smile since Natsu somehow was still alive.

"Because some friends of mine weren't cowards and came to get me out of the ocean. And I knew that something was off about you, whatever the fuck your name is and you are lucky that I don't rip your head off right now for what you did and tried to do to Fairy Tail." shouted Natsu as he came closer to the two people from the Council.

"And I wouldn't blame you Natsu, I deserve it because it's entirely my fault that everyone else is dead." replied Doranbolt as he hung his head in shame. The next thing Doranbolt knew he was pulled out of the way of a flaming punch by Lahar, the punch slammed into the wall behind him and obliterated it.

"Say that their dead again and the next time I won't miss you Council bastards." growled Natsu as he glared at the two men who were taken aback by the power that Natsu was now giving off.

"None of them died, I don't know how but they all disappeared before Acnologia's attack hit." shouted Natsu so that everyone could hear him.

"I was there as well Salamander and that is not what happened, you shouldn't give your friends false hope that they are alive when we both know that they are de…" said Lahar but didn't get to finish since a flaming fist connected with the side of his head launching him into the wall.

"I fucking warned you, but you bastards think that you know everything. Guess what you don't and you were there my ass, you were hiding on those boats of yours miles away cowering in fear." shouted Natsu ready to annihilate either of the men that were in front of him.

"You know that I can arrest you now just for hitting me Salamander." stated Lahar as he got up and glared at him.

"I would like to see your pansy ass try, it doesn't matter what you send at me I will destroy it all." declared Natsu.

"Well let's see how you handle a whole regimen of Rune Knights." said Lahar who was getting angry at Natsu.

"AHAHAHAH are you fucking that dumb whoever you are? I just fought Acnologia and survived, so you think that you could scare me with Rune Knights. Sorry but even if you got all of the Rune Knights in the whole country coming at me it wouldn't even make me sweat, after facing the Black Dragon of the Apocalypse there isn't many things left that will scare you." stated Natsu now having a smug grin on his face.

"The names Lahar and that is a valid point there Salamander but everyone knows how much you care about your guild so if we can't get you then the Council would just settle for one of your friends." replied Lahar with his own smug grin.

"Do that and I will destroy the whole Council and you will be the first one that I annihilate Lahar. Actually I might as well tell you now that I am tired of the Council trying to get rid of Fairy Tail so from here on out you are going to let us be, if not then there won't be a Council anymore." said Natsu with a grin.

"Natsu what are you doing?" asked Macao who just heard Natsu pretty much say that he would go to war against them.

"That is obvious Macao I am getting the Council off of our backs which they shouldn't even be on considering that we have saved their asses a few times." explained Natsu.

"Salamander you do know that you pretty much declared war on the Council?" asked Lahar with a grin.

"No I just told you what would happen if you assholes kept trying to get rid of us. And I also wouldn't call it a war when you guys wouldn't even stand a chance." replied Natsu with a serious expression.

"Natsu you can't be serious, there's no way that you can win against the Council." said Doranbolt who really didn't want to see Fairy Tail be disbanded just after learning that the other members might be alive if Natsu was correct.

"Oh but I am traitor, but I will let someone else who knows more about how the council works explain to you two how we could bring the Council to its knees. Oh yea Jet get the stamp for our two new members so that they are officially apart of Fairy Tail." said Natsu as Jet just looked at him as if he was crazy.

"Jet I said get the stamp and they are the two beautiful women in the door way." said Natsu with a growl that made Jet disappear and reappear right next to Meredy and Ultear with the stamp in hand.

"Color and location?" asked Jet in a scared voice after the look he just received from Natsu.

"Black, right shoulder." replied Ultear as she exposed her right shoulder for him to put the mark on.

"Pink, right shoulder." replied Meredy with a smile as she to exposed her shoulder for Jet to put the mark on.

"Wait a minute you're Ultear of Grimoire Heart, I am placing you under arrest." stated Lahar as he started to make his way over to her to try and arrest her but was stopped dead in his tracks by a tight grip.

"You won't be doing that Lahar, remember what happens if you try to do anything to a member of Fairy Tail. And if you do anything to these two I will kill you Lahar." said Natsu as his grip on Lahar's shoulder felt like he was going to break it.

"But she's a dark mage, that destroyed the previous Council." replied Lahar trying to make a case with Natsu.

"That was before Lahar, now she's a member of Fairy Tail that will be watched by me. Ultear is also the person who is now going to explain why if you go against Fairy Tail again or try and have us disbanded, how the Council will once again be destroyed and this time I think it would be permanent because the citizens of Fiore will turn against you." said Natsu with a grin as he let go of Lahar's shoulder.

"Okay I am listening." said Lahar with a scowl and an overall pissed off look on his face.

"Well Lahar, as you know the Council needs the support of the citizens of Fiore otherwise they will lose all of their power and funding. This is way those Council meetings are always about how well the public views the Council and their ability to maintain order and peace." explained Ultear with a grin on her face as she walked over to be standing right next to Natsu.

"Yes every employee of Council knows that." replied Lahar.

"Good, so the first reason why you aren't going to do anything against Fairy Tail or Natsu specifically is because you need Natsu to be on your side right now otherwise you are going to have a really bad time in the future." said Ultear with her grin still present.

"That is wrong Ultear, the Council would never need a mage like him." said Lahar who now had a little grudge against the dragons Slayer.

"HAHAHAHA just like they didn't need me all of those times that I saved their asses before? I actually have an example where the Council specifically asked for my help in the last month because they couldn't do anything about it themselves." said Natsu as he laughed in the face of Lahar.

"Are you talking about the fire drake?" asked Doranbolt.

"Look at that the traitor can actually put two and two together. Since you are part of the Council I assume you know what that drake told me before I killed it right?" asked Natsu with a grin.

"That more drakes would be coming in the future." responded Doranbolt.

"Bingo traitor, and if that happens then you are going to need little old me to save your asses again." replied Natsu.

"We don't even know if that will happen Salamander, so I see no reason why we shouldn't lock you and Ultear up for going against the Council?" asked Lahar with a smug grin.

"Because first of all we have already alerted the media about the possibility of more drakes coming and that if Natsu does happen to get arrested it was because the Council was trying to take away a member of Fairy Tail. We also decided to make public a few of the times that Natsu saved Fiore from catastrophes that for some reason the Council kept his involvement out of the news. For example Lullaby, Tower of Heaven and Oracion Seis are a few of the big ones.

So it would look really bad if the Council randomly arrested a mage that has saved the lives of countless citizens of Fiore with the looming threat of more drakes coming when he's the only who can do anything against them since the rest of the dragon slayers are gone with the rest of the Fairy Tail members. Granted the Council could still arrest him and maybe still survive which is a risk some of the Council members are probably willing to take. But the Council will definitely not survive if a drake shows up and they put the only mage who can stop it in prison." explained Ultear.

"We would just let Natsu go and deal with the drake and I just realized that Cobra could deal with the drakes for us as well." said Lahar with a smirk spreading across his face after remembering that Cobra was also a dragon slayer.

"HAHAHAH and people say that I am the idiot, dam Lahar how in the fuck did you get to your position? You must have some good connections or just know the right people." asked Natsu while laughing to himself.

"It was neither of those I got here by my own hard work Salamander." replied Lahar in a pissed off voice.

"Well you aren't thinking clearly now, which makes me wonder if I wasn't the only one that got hit in the head by Acnologia. I guess I better fill you in then, first off after throwing me into prison why would I ever help you guys with anything and you are probably going to point out that I would be saving lives if I helped. But guess what those lives that would be lost would be on the Councils hands not mine and I would be completely fine with not helping because guess what Lahar people die. And the media would already know why I am refusing to help you guys out which I know that some people would probably hate me for it but it would be worth it to watch the Council go down when this could have all been easily avoid which is something that the media already knows about.

As for Cobra helping you, man that would be the day. I think he would be thinking along the same lines as me wondering why should he help you guys out when you were the ones holding him. Now you could offer him his freedom which he would probably accept and he'd deal with the first drake that shows up. But after that I can guarantee you that you'll never see him again unless he goes back to his old ways which is highly likely and I would know since I put him away for you guys. A man like Cobra only respects one thing and that is power which is one thing in this supposed situation the Council won't have." explained Natsu with a grin.

"Shit, but are you willing to risk all of this because of Ultear?" asked Lahar.

"Yes and it's not just Ultear but the rest of Fairy Tail as well Lahar or did you already forget that the Council is going to leave the rest of us alone as well?" asked Natsu while he glared at Lahar.

"That is asking for way too much Salamander." stated Lahar.

"Too much Lahar, I am actually asking for the minimum here. Because that was only the first reason that you would do what I am asking here. After the next one I could ask to become part of the Council and I am betting that they would do it just so we don't go through with what we have planned. I bet I could get half of them to quit if I wanted." said Natsu with a confident grin spread across his lips.

"And what is this apparent trump card that is even better than your first one?" asked Lahar not believing that they could possibly have something better than what they already have which was actually really good.

"That would be this, and don't mind the audio that will be completely fine if we decided to release this. Just a few things that we didn't want you guys to hear right now." said Ultear as she showed the whole guild and the two people from the Council the fight between Natsu and Acnologia that she recorded. And the only part that didn't have the sound was when Natsu and Acnologia were talking about the members of Fairy Tail still being alive. After everyone watched the fight and they all just looked at Natsu wondering how strong he actually was and how was he still alive and only walked away with those three scars going over his eye.

"Just showing this alone would destroy the Council for numerous reasons. First one and something that the Council would never be able to actually get around was the fact that it's powerless to do anything against Acnologia. Just look how a whole fleet of Council ships did nothing but turn tail and run. Also it shows how the Council just sat back and watched a group of mages that have always helped Fiore whenever they could, and did absolutely nothing when the Council's actual job is to help legal guilds like Fairy Tail. Not to mention that an additional three dragon slayers are no longer here to help if any drakes do show up, thanks to the Council not doing anything. I can't imagine that the other guilds would be happy to learn this or that the Council is not actually going to help them when they need it.

This video also shows that Acnologia is actually an intelligent being, which is something that the Council has been trying to always deny. It also shows that one mage was willing to go up against Acnologia when a whole fleet of Council ships wouldn't even fire a single shot at him. Not only that, but also that Acnologia actually acknowledged Natsu as an opponent and was able to survive miraculously with no help from the Council because once again you were too busy running away. It will also raise questions why the Council was even there if it wasn't to help Fairy Tail fight Acnologia, which I am sure the Council will be able to come up with a few good lies that will fool the citizens. But I can guarantee you that the other guilds will figure it out and just like them realizing that the Council isn't there for them, they will learn that it is almost the exact opposite and that the Council would rather shut them down." explained Ultear as she leaned against Natsu's shoulder with a confident grin.

Lahar and Doranbolt were left speechless because everything that Ultear said would most likely happen if that video was ever released and it would definitely mean the end of the Council, well at least this one. While the rest of Fairy Tail was just as shocked about all of this and really didn't know what to do because a few minutes earlier they were told that all of their friends died. But then out of nowhere one of the people supposedly dead, shows up and tells them the exact opposite and then gets into a fight with the Council members here. Then along with the two new members that he brought he informs everyone how they were able to destroy the council if they felt like it, all in all it was too much for everyone there to process. This is why everyone just sat there for a few moments trying to process everything that just happened.

"That would cause all of Fiore to fall into complete chaos." stated Doranbolt.

"Your point traitor?" asked Natsu with a growl.

"That tons of people would get hurt and possibly die." shouted Doranbolt.

"Yes and it would all be because you assholes tried to shut down Fairy Tail, and felt the need to still try and hurt us after we just lost a good portion of our guild. So no I don't care about any of that stuff traitor, because I will not let anyone else ever again hurt what's important to me. And if they do then I will drag them down with me kicking and screaming until we are both comfortable in hell and as you know I can stand the heat that most people die to." replied Natsu as he glared at Doranbolt.

"But literally thousands of lives could be lost Natsu." stated Doranbolt who didn't want to believe that Natsu was okay with this.

"Yes, but they sure as hell won't be the lives of my friends and family which you used to be a part of traitor. And you are forgetting that this doesn't need to happen if the Council minds its own goddam business and never again tries to do anything against Fairy Tail ever again." shouted Natsu at the end.

"You know that the Council will not be happy about this Salamander and see it as an act of war." said Lahar.

"There you go again saying that it will be a war, but sorry to break it to you Lahar but I won't be a war. Besides I am not the one who started this shit, it was the Council that started it when they tried to shut us down and even went so far as to send in a spy. But guess what I just ended this war that the Council seemed like they wanted, and they are lucky that I am not demanding more. Wait a minute I did think of something that needs to be done otherwise I am going to release this video and that is the records of Ultear and Meredy are to be completely destroyed and both of them being pardoned of all past crimes. If not then Fiore will be plunged into chaos which is something I and every other member of Fairy Tail can deal with because that's what our lives always are." said Natsu while staring right at Lahar.

"What's to stop you from continuing to blackmail the Council?" asked Lahar who was extremely pissed off right now.

"I wouldn't call what I am doing right now blackmail Lahar, it's more of a favor to the Council since I am withholding information from the public that would cause, as the traitor put it, mass chaos. Which I really don't want to see even though I would be fine with it, but I really should show the public because they do have the right to know that the Council can't help them when they need it. So as for whats to stop me from asking for a few more favors from the council, nothing actually except for I am a man of my word Lahar. So remember all of the things that I said today Lahar, because if the Council doesn't agree to my conditions then they will all happen. Which would mean that we would be seeing each other probably sooner than either of us want." explained Natsu with a smirk.

"Well this is going to be a lot to tell them." stated Lahar.

"Don't worry Lahar my dear I have been recording everything that happened since Natsu broke down the door. Oh and here is a copy of his fight with Acnologia which I am sure they will want to see, but don't worry I have tons of copies that I have already sent out to some of my friends and some of Natsu's friends. You would be amazed at how many people he actually knows who would do almost anything for him, but it's not that surprising when he's constantly saving lives." said Ultear as she threw a lacrima recording to Lahar and Doranbolt.

"What's to prevent the people that you sent copies from sharing them?" asked Doranbolt.

"Look at you trying to figure out more about something you don't need to. No wonder they made you their little spy, but don't worry they won't be able to unless Natsu or I say so. That also includes the situation that we are both killed which I wouldn't put past the Council and I would know since I used to be part of it." replied Ultear with a smirk.

"Now leave before you have to be carried out." shouted Natsu causing the two men to jump back from him and leave. Just as Doranbolt was almost gone he stopped and turned around with a big smile.

"Thank you Natsu." said Doranbolt still having that smile and in the process confused everyone why he just thanked Natsu. Who for the whole time that Natsu was there looked like he was ready to rip his head off and only called Doranbolt a traitor.

"For what traitor?" asked Natsu clearly still angry at Doranbolt.

"For surviving and letting me know that the rest are still alive Natsu." replied Doranbolt and then turned around and continued to follow Lahar.

"Well now that they are gone, everyone this is Ultear and Meredy and as you can tell they are going to be part of Fairy Tail." said Natsu as he looked at the rest of the guild.

"Is it true that the rest of the group isn't dead, they have all just gone missing?" asked Droy being the only one brave enough to speak up.

"Yea they are Droy, where they went or how long they are going to be gone for I really don't know. Here's what I saw before Acnologia attack hit them, the whole group were holding each other's hands making a big circle with smiles on their faces as they looked up into the sky. Then there was a flash of gold light and I could have sworn that I saw a white Fairy Tail symbol come from the group and then there was nothing." explained Natsu as he scratch the back of his head.

"That doesn't really sound like they made it to me." said Jet with a sad expression thinking that Natsu was mistaken in thinking that they were actually alive.

"Natsu's telling the truth everyone, and if you don't believe me then watch this." said Ultear as the jumped to the part in Natsu's fight with Acnologia where they talked about what happened to the members of Fairy Tail and the island but this time with the sound intact.

"See Natsu's telling the truth, there still out there." said Meredy.

"I honestly don't know what to believe right now." said Wakaba as he shook his head.

"Well I do, Natsu says that they are a live so that is what I am going to believe. Even Acnologia said that something was off about the whole island disappearing." said Droy with a big smile.

"Yea you're right Droy, Natsu is usually right when it's something serious." said Jet now also having his own smile. After those two believed in Natsu's claim about the Tenrou group still being alive out there soon every other member followed suit and Fairy Tail was no longer a depressing place and was actually quite upbeat.

"So what's the plan now?" asked Alzack and everyone all turned to Natsu for an answer.

"Why are you all looking at me?" asked Natsu.

"Well because you were the one that told us that they are all still alive, so we were assuming that you already have a plan." replied Bisca.

"Okay everyone, here's my plan." said Natsu with his usual toothy grin.

"So what is it?" asked Jet with a grin expecting it to be crazy like most of the things that Natsu does.

"I just told you." replied Natsu still grinning.

"Natsu, you didn't tell us anything." pointed out Laki with a glare directed at him.

"Yea, that's the plan on what to do about the Tenrou group." said Natsu while nodding his head.

"Natsu are you trying to tell them that your plan is to do nothing about the Tenrou group?" asked Ultear who somehow pieced that together.

"Right on the nose Ultear." said Natsu taping his own nose.

"What?" asked the other members of Fairy Tail.

"Exactly that everyone, we do nothing about it." said Natsu still grinning.

"How could you of all people say that Natsu, especially right after declaring war on the Council for the reason of protecting Fariy Tail? And somehow most likely winning and I am pretty sure that you are going to get exactly what you asked for too." asked Macao in disbelief.

"I need to get better at explaining what I mean." said Natsu with a sheepish smile.

"You think?" asked Bisca sarcastically.

"Okay here is what I meant by us not doing anything about the Tenrou group. In my opinion whatever we do to try and bring them back is going to be a waste of our time and effort, now let me explain that comment. From what I saw they did some sort of magic spell or something to protect the island and themselves, like I said before I have no idea what they did but whatever it was protected the whole island because it just vanished in thin air. Whatever spell that was must have been a really strong one since the whole island is gone with them, and I completely lost their scents. Since it was something that they did, it means that they are most likely going to come back on their own time schedule and won't be affected by whatever we do to try and bring them back." explained Natsu still having a grin on his face.

"Oh so you're saying that sending out a search party would be pointless since they were the ones that disappeared with the island?" asked Meredy.

"Yes Meredy, but if Tenrou Island does come back and they are not back here within an instant of that island reappearing I will be the first one out there looking for them." said Natsu still grinning as he traced his three new scars on his face with his left hand.

"So we monitor where Tenrou Island is and if it comes back we go looking for them?" asked Droy with a small smile.

"Yep and the first place we should look is that dam disappearing island. How does that even happen and this is a big island with a giant tree in the middle of it." stated Natsu as he tried to show them what the Island and tree looked like with is hands. This caused a few members to start to laugh at Natsu and how happy and positive he still was after something like this happening.

"So what are we going to do while we wait for Tenrou Island to reappear?" asked Macao with a grin as once again everyone turned to Natsu for answers.

"What the hell guys, you used to never look at me for questions like this?" asked Natsu as he looked back at everyone else.

"Well that was before you beat the Council at their own game." said Laki with a grin.

"Hey that wasn't just me Ultear helped out with the finer details." stated Natsu as he pointed a finger at Ultear.

"True, but you already had the main parts Natsu. I just polished it up a bit and made it pretty much fool proof." said Ultear with a proud grin at what she and Natsu just accomplished.

"Whatever Ultear, I am still giving you the credit for it." stated Natsu.

"I am not the dragon slayer that literally made it all possible by killing a drake and then somehow fighting Acnologia and not dying." refuted Ultear.

"But I would have died if you didn't save me, so it was all thanks to you Ultear." argued Natsu.

"You've been a member of Fairy Tail longer so you'd know what's best for Fairy Tail." replied Ultear who then stuck her tongue out at Natsu playfully.

"You two are both so weird." said Meredy who was giggling at the two of them.

"So Natsu, if you're done arguing with your new girlfriend what are we going to do while we wait?" asked Macao with a big grin as he thought how fortunate Natsu was to be young and having a beautiful woman like Ultear.

"Yes Natsu, what are we going to do?" asked Ultear as she hugged him and rested her head on his shoulder.

"First of Ultear isn't my girlfriend." said Natsu which got him a lot of looks of disbelief since Ultear was all over him.

"Not yet Natsu." Ultear whispered into Natsu's ear so that only he could hear in a sultry tone, causing Natsu to have a faint blush.

"Sure she isn't Natsu, it's total normal for beautiful woman to be all over men that they are into." said Jet sarcastically.

"Happens to me quite often actually and this is just how Ultear acts. The first time I actually had a long meeting with Ultear, she was dressed up as a man." said Natsu with a smile who was then being hit by Ultear over and over again. As a few male members glared at Natsu knowing that he was probably telling the truth that it happened to him a lot and he was too dense to figure out that it meant that the girl most likely had a thing for him.

"Why do you always have to bring that up Natsu, I told you already that it was Transformation magic so that I could keep my identity a secret." said Ultear as she continued to hit Natsu who was just laughing.

"Well it didn't fool me and like I said before people are always calling me an idiot." replied Natsu still laughing as Ultear hit him some more.

"That just because of that nose of yours and all of those people were wrong when they said that about you Natsu." said Ultear as she gave him one last hit on the back of the head.

"Yea whatever you say Ultear. So are you guys sure that you want my opinion on this?" asked Natsu as he sat down at the bar with Ultear and Meredy at both of his sides.

"Yes we are Natsu, so please just tell us." said Bisca who spoke up for the group.

"Okay my first suggestion is that we get a temporary guild Master to fill in for Gramps while he's gone. Just because the Council will no longer be trying to get us disbanded doesn't mean that we won't have to pay for the damages that we cause from here on out." replied Natsu.

"Natsu now that the Tenrou group is missing you are really the only one here that ever caused much damage." stated Alzack with a big grin that everyone else soon had because Natsu was indeed the only one remaining that caused a lot of damage.

"Well that's your guys problem, I can't help it that I am so awesome which actually is the other part that I have a suggestion about." replied Natsu with a smug expression on his face.

"And what would that be Natsu?" asked Wakaba who was so far impressed with Natsu's suggestion.

"Well that would be training of course; Fairy Tail did just lose all of its S-Class wizards and possible candidates for becoming S-Class wizards. So we are pretty weak right now compared to what we were just a week ago. Even if you guys don't want to train, I need to train a ton because as you all heard there might be more drakes popping up soon and last time I came too close to dying or losing an arm." stated Natsu as he leaned against the counter of the bar.

"But what about the guild, we still need to do jobs?" asked Laki.

"What are you talking about Laki; of course we are going to be doing jobs. Those are sometimes the best form of training that you can get because you are always getting actual experience, and when I am at least not on a job. I am going to be working on the things that don't always get as much use on jobs, with whatever else I feel like doing for the day as well." explained Natsu with a grin.

"That sounds like an okay plan." said Jet with a smile.

"Yea it does, and once Levy gets back she's going to be so impressed with how much stronger I have become as a mage." declared Droy as he headed to the request board.

"Not if I improve more than you." shouted Jet as he too, went to the board to pick out a job.

"AHAHAH of course that is what those two would be thinking about." said Natsu with a chuckle.

"What about some of the weaker members?" asked Laki without looking at Natsu.

"First off Laki I don't even think you know how strong you are, not to mention that you can be scarier than Mira or Erza when you get mad. Like that time I broke that thingy you were trying to make with your magic and you gave me that look as if you wanted to kill me. Yea that look that you are giving me right now Laki, but back to your original question about weaker members. Well I will be willing to train with anyone that wants to while I am at the guild and not doing a job because like I said before I need as much training as I can get." answered Natsu. Some of the male members were wondering how he didn't crack under the glare that Laki gave him but then remembered that Natsu did just fight Acnologia and survive meaning there probably isn't much out there that scares him now.

"Thanks Natsu, and don't break any of my things again. And I for one would love to train with you." replied Laki with a small smile appearing on her face.

"Good and like I said anyone else is welcome to join us." said Natsu with a smile.

"What about completing S-Class requests, those are the big jewel makers for the guild and I don't know if we will be able to keep a float without them? Master Makarov always said they were the jobs that kept the doors open." asked Macao with Wakaba nodding his head in agreement about hearing that they were what kept Fairy Tail going.

"Well I guess I might as well say it now, but I was planning on stealing them and doing them while whoever the new master is, wasn't looking." said Natsu with a sheepish grin as he rubbed the back of his head.

"You are actually the only one that was close to S-Class that came back Natsu." said Wakaba with a grin.

"Not to mention the only still here that could actually probably do any of them." said Macao knowing that there was no way in hell he could.

"Hey that's not true, Meredy and Ultear were both S-Class level in their old guild." stated Natsu as he pointed to them.

"What was your old guild and if I remember correctly Lahar was trying to arrest you as soon as he saw you?" asked Nab.

"Well I guess I might as well tell you all about our past now." said Ultear as she let out a sigh and then went ant told them about her past and what she did as a dark mage. She told them everything thinking that it would be better if she got it all out now so that once they finally accepted her there would be nothing that could possibly ruin it. So a few hours later she finished and looked at all the members trying to figure out what they thought about her now.

"That is some history you have their Ultear." said Bisca letting out a long whistle.

"Well welcome to Fairy Tail, Ultear and Meredy." said Alzack with a warm smile as everyone else started to smile at the two former dark mages.

"Wait that's it, you are all fine with us being a part of your guild?" asked Ultear in disbelief and was half expecting to fight her way out.

"Yea Ultear, Master Makarov said that Fairy Tail would always have its doors open for those who have lost their way. And that it was our job to put them on the right path, and it looks like you two have already started that." said Macao as he gave them a quick grin.

"Why do you think that?" asked Meredy.

"Well you two did save Natsu for us." pointed out Laki.

"You have already help the guild deal with the Council." stated Max with a small grin.

"And the biggest reason for why we are so willing for you to join us, is because Natsu already trusts you two which is good enough for me." said Wakaba with a sly grin.

"He's right on that, Natsu came somehow always tell if the person it good deep down or not. Master Makarov could do the same thing, so if either of those two trusted someone pretty much the rest of Fairy Tail did." explained Warren.

"I don't even know what to say." said Ultear as she tried to keep her tears at bay.

"I told you two that Fairy Tail is the best." said Natsu smug look and was then being hugged by Ultear and Meredy as they both cried into his chest.

"Thank you Natsu." said both of them in between sobs.

"It's okay you two, you're both now part of the family which means that we are all going to be there if you ever need us. So on behalf of the entire guild, welcome to Fairy Tail Ultear and Meledy, now let's do what we usually do when we get a new member and party!" shouted Natsu getting everyone else there in the spirt because just being around him made you want to join in on the fun.

"You truly are the weirdest person I have ever met Natsu." said Meredy as she wiped away her tears.

"Thanks Meredy, now let's have some fun everybody because after today I am going straight back to work and training." shouted Natsu getting cheers of approval from the rest of the guild as they started one of their parties. It was smaller than normal but Natsu made sure to make up for that by being as loud as possible and doing whatever he could to keep the spirits up of the members there.

 **A few hours later:**

"He sure is something isn't he?" asked Macao as he sat down next to Ultear.

"Natsu sure is." replied Ultear as she watched Natsu teach Meredy the finer points of how to partake in a guild brawl.

"Only Natsu could turn one of the saddest days for Fairy Tail into a party were everyone is actually having fun." said Macao with a proud grin on his face as he watch Natsu as well.

"Not to mention that he challenged the entire Council as if it was nothing." stated Ultear with a smile.

"Well according to him a lot of that was thanks to you Ultear, and thanks for that and also saving Natsu in the first place." said Macao.

"Any normal person would have done the same." stated Ultear.

"That isn't true Ultear there was a whole fleet of Council ships that just left him which you could have easily done too. But you didn't because like the rest of us know, you are a good person Ultear who unfortunately went down the wrong path when you were younger. Which easily could have happened to any of the members here but we were lucky enough to find Fairy Tail just like you and Meredy have now." said Macao.

"Thanks Macao that sounded like something the Master of Fairy Tail would say." replied Ultear loud enough for a few other people to hear.

"Stop that Ultear, they are going to start thinking that I might be a good idea." said Macao while glaring at her.

"Sorry Macao I was just stating my opinion and can't help it if others agree with me." said Ultear with a mischievous grin.

"I swear that every woman that joins Fairy Tail are secretly the devil." said Macao as he dropped his head on the table that they were sitting at.

"HEHEHE sorry Macao but that is just because Fairy Tail only has strong women that know how to deal with men." giggled Ultear.

"That's an understatement if I have ever heard one, but I actually have a question about something that Acnologia said to Natsu while they were fighting. I already tried to ask Natsu about it but he just waved it off as if it was nothing when I have a feeling that this is something that is bigger and he might be keeping it a secret." said Macao barely above a whisper.

"Okay you definitely have me interested, so what is it?" asked Ultear.

"Acnologia said that Natsu achieved the first stage of dragon force, and as far as I knew there was only just one dragon force and not multiple stages to it. So what did Acnologia mean about that, do you think that Natsu could even become strong than he already is?" asked Macao.

"I can't believe I missed something like that, and you said that Natsu wouldn't answer you and would just brush the question off?" asked Ultear.

"Yea, Natsu would pretend that he didn't hear or change the subject, but he seriously might be doing that because he honestly doesn't know about it either and might be embarrassed by that." suggested Macao.

"Could be, I think I know where I can get some books that might help us on this puzzle." replied Ultear.

"Now I just want to make sure that you know that you can't steal anymore Ultear." said Macao in a joking manner.

"I know that jerk, but there are some hideouts that have a lot of valuable things that I need to make sure that they don't fall into the wrong hands." said Ultear after she lightly hit Macao.

"I am pretty sure that Natsu would be more than happy to help you with that." said Macao giving Ultear as suggestive grin at what he was trying to get at.

"I do not need or want your help on those matters at all Macao, I am confident in my own abilities." replied Ultear as she looked away from him.

"And I am sure that it works on most men, but Natsu isn't like most men." stated Macao.

"You're right Macao Natsu isn't, he's just been waiting for me." said Ultear as she got up and head towards Natsu leaving a stunned Macao behind.

"Oh there you are Ultear I was just about to get you." said Meredy as she jumped in front of Ultear.

"And why were you going to do that Meredy?" asked Ultear with a little grin.

"Because I have great news, I have found a place for us to stay and I think you are really going to like it." stated Meredy with a really big grin.

"We'll see about that Meredy." replied Ultear still grinning at Meredy.

"Natsu offered for us to live with him for as long as we want or until we get our own place." said Meredy with a proud smile on her face.

"You're right Meredy I really do like that news, it's going to make it easier for me to get closer to Natsu." said Ultear with a happy smirk.

"I knew you would, and Natsu said that he wants to go with us on our first jobs as Fairy Tail mages." replied Meredy who was clearly excited about this.

"Well where is Natsu?" asked Ultear since he was no longer in front of them.

"He said that he was going to go and grab a few jobs that we could then pick from." answered Meredy just as Natsu walked up to them with usual grin on his face as well.

"I take it Meredy told you about our plans?" asked Natsu.

"Yes, but what if I don't want to stay at your place?" asked Ultear with a smirk.

"It was only an offer Ultear, but if you don't want to you are free to stay where ever you like." said Natsu.

"I would love to stay with you Natsu, I just wanted to know why you offered this to us?" asked Ultear with a small smirk on her lips.

"Because you two are my friends and I know that you don't have much right now." explained Natsu with a warm smile.

"Thank you Natsu, you have already done so much for us." replied Ultear as her smirk turned into a full blown smile.

"Na it was nothing Ultear and I would do it all again, if you two need anything don't hesitate to ask." stated Natsu still having that warm smile on his face.

"Anything you say Natsu?" asked Ultear in her sultry tone that she kept using on Natsu, as she grabbed his arm and brought it right next to her chest while also giving him a sexy smirk. Of course this caused Natsu to start blushing and take a big gulp.

"Anything that is reasonable." said Natsu with a bit of a stutter.

"I am going to hold you to that Natsu." said Ultear with a suggestive grin.

"Hey Macao we are going to head out now and will probably be gone for a few days doing these jobs." said Natsu as he held up four flyers that were all S-Class.

"Wait Natsu, what about training with some of the other members?" asked Macao.

"You can tell them that I will do as much training with them as they want, but first I need a little more cash and let Fiore know that we are still going strong." replied Natsu.

"Okay but what about selecting a new temporary Master?" asked Macao.

"That can be up to the rest of you guys and I am confident that you guys will choose a great new Master. Oh and if I had to pick one it would be you Macao to be the New Master, later." said Natsu loudly at the end so other members could hear him as he, Ultear and Meredy left the guild with all of them laughing quietly knowing that Macao was not going to be happy.

"Natsu get back here right now and pick someone else dammit." shouted Macao knowing that there was no chance of that happening.

"Those two together is definitely going to make things interesting around here." said Macao to himself as he sat down at the bar with a loud sigh hoping that the other members weren't going to pick him for the next Master of Fairy Tail because of those two saying such ridiculous things out loud.

 **End of Chapter**

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Thanks for reading and I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. So I usally throw down some of my thoughts here so I guess I will continue to do that, my first one is how quick do you want me to progress through the seven years. The max that I am willing to time skip is a full year because like I said earlier I want to focus on this time more than other stories usually do. I guess that is my only thought that I have except for if you guys want me to bring in Oc's or do some other things that I think will be fun and change how other things will play out after the seven years are done. Well that's enough of that so as always feel free to leave me a review.**

 **Until the next Chapter**

 **Digem Out!**


	4. As Time Goes By

Ch 4: As Time Goes By

"Natsu how far do you actually live away from the guild?" asked Ultear after they had been walking for more than twenty minutes.

"Not that much farther Ultear, we're almost there." replied Natsu giving her a grin that she could barely see because of how dark it was.

"Good because it's scary out here in the woods." stated Meredy as she nervously looked around.

"No it's not Meredy, besides this is my territory and the rest of the animals know that." said Natsu giving Meredy a reassuring smile.

"Really, how did you do something like that Natsu?" asked Meredy wondering how a human would accomplish such a thing.

"Simple Meredy, I kept beating up any big animal or monster within a ten mile radius from here and also I every once and a while let out a few roars to let them know that I am still here." explained Natsu with a big grin.

"That would cover all of Magnolia." stated Ultear.

"Yep and your point Ultear?" asked Natsu.

"Oh nothing Natsu, just wanted to make sure that we were on the same page." replied Ultear with her own grin.

"Well we're now here at your new home for as long as you two want it to be." said Natsu with a big grin as he stood in front of his small house that he actually built.

"How about forever." whispered Ultear to Meredy who couldn't help but giggle.

"What was that Ultear?" asked Natsu as he looked over his should at the two.

"Nothing Natsu, except for thank you for being so kind to the two of us." replied Ultear with a big smile.

"It looks quite nice Natsu." stated Meredy cheerfully that she was actually going to have a house to live in since she hadn't really had one since her village was destroyed.

"Well let's go in and get some sleep, but I have to warn you two that it's a little messy since I really didn't think that I would be having any guests any time soon. But then again I also didn't think that I would lose all of my closest friends yesterday." said Natsu letting out a sad chuckle.

"It's okay Natsu just remember that they aren't actually dead Natsu. They are just gone for a while like you told everyone else at the guild." replied Ultear as she gave him a hug.

"But what if they aren't Ultear, what if I am wrong about this?" asked Natsu as he looked at her with extremely sad eyes.

"Well I don't think that you are Natsu especially after hearing what Acnologia said to you. And even if you are then all we can do is keep on living for them and make Fairy Tail stronger than it ever was before this terrible incident occurred. At least that is what I think you would say to someone else who was in your position." replied Ultear with a caring smile.

"You're right Ultear I should still have faith in myself like everyone else does. And if, god forbid I am wrong, then we will continue on for their sake and make Fairy Tail remain the number one guild in all of Fiore." declared Natsu as he threw a fist into the air at this declaration.

"That's the spirit Natsu." said Ultear with a happy smile, glad that she was able to help him out before he got depressed.

"I am going to keep saying this but you two are so weird." said Meredy with a little giggling.

"And I keep telling you Meredy that being weird is a good thing, so let's go and get some sleep because we going to have some long days ahead of us if we want to try and finish the four jobs that I picked out for us." said Natsu as he opened the door without unlocking it and walked right on in.

"You don't lock your doors Natsu?" asked Ultear as she followed him in.

"Nope and why would I Ultear, if anyone wanted to get in while I wasn't here they could just break in without anyone hearing them. So I just leave them unlocked the whole time, besides no one really knows where I live except for you two now and even if someone did steal from me. That would be really stupid for them to steal from someone who could literally track them down even if they were on the other side of Fiore." explained Natsu as they got to his living room which was a complete mess with garbage thrown all over the place.

"Good point Natsu and this is a complete pigsty Natsu." said Ultear as she glared at Natsu.

"I did say that it was a little dirty." replied Natsu with a sheepish grin as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Well this won't do, **FAST FORWARD!"** said Ultear as she lifted her hand and all of the garbage disappeared and everything else in the small house looked like it was in the best condition ever.

"Wow that is a really neat trick Ultear." stated Natsu with a big grin.

"It's not a trick Natsu it's one of the things that I can do with my magic. But enough of this let's go to sleep, like you said we have a lot of work ahead of us and I actually wanted to ask you something." said Ultear after playfully hitting Natsu on the back of the head.

"So what did you want to ask Ultear?" asked Natsu as he led them to his bedroom that actually didn't have a bed at all just his and Happy's hammock.

"Well first, there are some hideouts of our old guild that we should go to and acquire what's stored at them before someone else does. If some of the things were to fall into the wrong hands then the consequences would be dire." said Ultear with a frown about what could happen and also from seeing that Natsu apparently didn't own a bed.

"That would probably be a really smart thing to do wouldn't it, so we can make that our top priority from here on out Ultear." replied Natsu with a confident grin.

"And the second thing is what did Acnologia mean about first stage of dragon force Natsu?" asked Ultear with a stare that told Natsu he wasn't going to be able to get away from this question so Natsu let out a big sigh.

"I honestly don't know Ultear, I didn't even know about dragon force until it happened in the Tower of Heaven when I fought Jellal. And the next time I used it was when I was fighting Zero and I only accessed it thanks to Jellal giving me some weird flames, so I thought that I would be only able to access it if I consumed large amounts of magic but that was wrong. Since yesterday I definitely didn't have any when I went into it, and then Acnologia says that it's the first stage of who knows how many stages." said Natsu as he ran his hands through his hair in frustration.

"Hey it's okay Natsu, I just wanted to know if you were keeping secrets from Macao and me. Besides I think that one of the hideouts that I was talking about has a book on dragon slayers, Hades was always on the lookout for a dragon slayer that he might be able to control." said Ultear with a small grin.

"Thank god he didn't try and take me." stated Natsu.

"Well Hades had actually been looking at you for a long time Natsu. And if he had won on Tenrou Island he was planning on taking you since Makarov wouldn't be there to protect you. This was all under the assumption that you were still going to be hurt from your battle with that drake." explained Ultear with a small grin.

"Well that is one really big positive that came from this." said Natsu as he shivered just at the thought of a dark guild's master capturing him for who knows what purpose.

"Yes it is Natsu, but where is your bed?" asked Ultear hoping that this was a dumb joke that Natsu was trying to pull on them.

"Don't have one, so one of you two can sleep on the hammock while the other one can sleep on the couch." said Natsu with a big grin as he pulled out a pillow and two blankets.

"I call couch." shouted Meredy as she grabbed a pillow and blanket and took off for the couch.

"Well looks like you get the hammock Ultear." said Natsu with a little chuckle.

"Where are you going to sleep?" asked Ultear as she eyed Natsu.

"On the floor which isn't actually that bad." replied Natsu with a grin.

"Then why don't you take the hammock Natsu, I really don't want you to sleep on the ground because of me." said Ultear.

"It's really not a problem at all Ultear." said Natsu giving her another grin.

"Well then why don't we just share the hammock then Natsu?" asked Ultear with a small blush and a sly grin.

"Really, from what I experienced women don't really like to sleep with guys that they aren't in a relationship with." replied Natsu with a nervous chuckle.

"Well we could change that Natsu, and be in a relationship." said Ultear as she grabbed his arm and pressed her assets against him, causing Natsu to blush and then take a big gulp.

"We pretty much just met each other Ultear so let's not rush into anything just yet." replied Natsu nervously as Ultear was still rubbing up against him.

"Fine but we can still share the hammock together Natsu, and before you try and use that same line I know that you used to sleep in the same bed as Lucy Heartfilia and you two weren't in a relationship." said Ultear as she looked up at Natsu with pleading eyes.

"That's a good point so I guess we could share it but I really don't know how you plan to do that." said Natsu as he hopped into the hammock.

"Simple Natsu, just like this, see this isn't so bad?" asked Ultear as she was now lying on top of Natsu with her head on his chest.

"No it isn't Ultear, it actually feels quite nice." replied Natsu with a big smile as he enjoyed the feeling of Ultear on top of him because it was as if she was hugging him and letting him know that he's wanted.

Which unfortunately is something that Natsu is always thinking about, wondering if he was going to be left again which just happened to him for the third time in his life yesterday. Yes none of them chose to leave him, and Natsu didn't even know if Igneel or his real parents had a choice in the matter either but none the less it hurt each time. And this time was really painful for him since it was all of his really close family and friends.

"I knew you would like it." said Ultear as she let out a small giggle.

"I have a question Ultear, how did you know about me sleeping in Lucy's bed?" asked Natsu.

"Because you need to know your enemy Natsu, learn their strengths and their weaknesses. And one of Fairy Tail's biggest strengths was you Natsu, which is why we had to figure out what your weaknesses were." said Ultear with a small smile knowing that she could explain everything to Natsu and he wouldn't look at her any differently since he already knows about her greatest sins. Yet he was able to see past that and still call her his friend and bring her to Fairy Tail where they too surprisingly welcomed her and Meredy with open arms.

"Makes sense, so what are my weaknesses?" asked Natsu who wanted to know so that he could try and fix them.

"Well the first one is that you are weak with transportation and everyone knows this now Natsu which is really bad. And the other one I don't know if I would call a weakness anymore, it would be that you care for your friends more than most Natsu. Which is something that others will try to use against you, but I have already seen that you are actually stronger because you are fighting for your friends" explained Ultear with a bigger smile than before.

"Yea Lahar tried that today actually when he threatened to go after Fairy Tail if they couldn't go after me. As for the transportation thing, I don't know why I am that way and I really wish I could fix it. But the only one who could really do anything about it was Wendy when she casted a spell on me but she said I was getting immune to the effects of it though." replied Natsu with a yawn.

"Well I have a few ideas on how to fix your problem with transportation but you are definitely not going to like them." stated Ultear with a grin that Natsu knew meant pain for him later on.

"If it has a chance of curing me then I will suffer through the pain so I can get rid of this weakness that apparently everyone knows about." said Natsu after he let out a sigh.

"Well it's not like you were trying to hide it at all Natsu." said Ultear with a playful grin on her face now.

"That's because my team would never walk like I always wanted us to." replied Natsu.

"I wonder why that is Natsu, oh wait I know they had other things that they wanted to do rather than spend all of their time walking across Fiore with you." said Ultear while giggling.

"You two are being weird and loud while I am trying to go to sleep!" shouted Meredy from the living room, causing Natsu and Ultear to start laughing at her and finally calmed down and started to whisper to each other so they wouldn't bother Meredy.

"That makes sense but because of that everyone knows about it now." said Natsu.

"Yea but I have a few ideas of how to fix it." replied Ultear with that grin Natsu wasn't a fan of.

"I take it that this solution is going to require me riding those god forsaken things?" asked Natsu.

"Yes but while we do that we can hit up all of the hideouts that I know about, so we will be hitting two birds with one stone as some would say." answered Ultear with a big smile.

"Please just hit me with the stone instead." said Natsu causing Ultear to giggle quietly.

"That wouldn't solve anything Natsu." said Ultear after she was done giggling at him.

"I know I have already tired it, and do you need the blanket?" asked Natsu making Ultear giggle again.

"No you are all the warmth I need Natsu." said Ultear as she nuzzled deeper into his chest really enjoying the warmth that just came off of him.

"Well as long as you're fine Ultear." said Natsu with another yawn and slowly drifted off to sleep.

"I know I will be as long as I am with you Natsu." said Ultear as she too went to sleep with a smile on her face.

 **At Fairy Tail the next morning:**

"Man that was a fun party last night." said Alzack as he got up and stretched.

"It sure was." replied Bisca who got up and was right next to Alzack almost giving the poor man a heart attack.

"What did we do last night?" asked Alzack nervously in a whisper.

"Nothing Alzack, but you did say somethings that I have been wanting to hear for a long time." replied Bisca with a big smile.

"What did I say Bisca?" asked Alzack as he looked into her eyes.

"I'll tell you once we go on that date today like you promised." replied Bisca with a smirk causing Alzack to start blushing and then start thanking his drunk self for doing something that he had been too afraid to do.

"Man I am getting to old to party like that these days." said Macao with a groan as he picked himself off of the floor.

"So how about we get picking the new temporary guild Master out of the way." suggest Wakaba who surprisingly looked fine as he sat at the bar and puffed away on his pipe.

"That doesn't sound like too bad of an idea." stated Max with a big grin.

"What about the few members that aren't here right now?" asked Warren.

"We can wait a bit for those that aren't on quests but those that are can vote once they get back if their votes would even matter." suggested Macao.

"So who are still on quests?" asked Nab who was still standing in front of the request board.

"Isn't it only Jet and Droy?" asked Reedus.

"No Natsu told me that he and our two new members where going to be gone for a long time doing some S-Class quest. He also said that as soon as he gets back anyone that wanted to train with him can train with him as long as they wanted." said Macao as he rubbed his temples trying to get rid of his headache.

"Did he say who he wanted as the next temporary guild Master?" asked Wakaba with a grin.

"Nope he just said that he was sure that we would choose correctly and had faith in us." replied Macao.

"Oh and he didn't say anything about his vote being for you Macao?" asked Wakaba with a huge grin.

"No he did not Wakaba why on earth would you think of such a ridiculous thing?" asked Macao who was now certain that Wakaba had heard both Ultear and Natsu last night and was just having fun with him.

"No reason at all Macao." replied Wakaba still grinning at his friend.

"That's just like Natsu, comes back with great news while doing crazy things like challenging the Council and then just leaving to go off and do some dangerous quests without saying goodbye." said Laki with a scowl.

"Don't tell me that our little Laki has a crush on the Salamander?" asked Bisca with a big grin.

"No I don't Bisca, because unlike you I would tell the person I like about my feelings. I am just concerned that he won't come back, because if that happened I don't know if Fairy Tail could actually make it." said Laki with a frown.

"For your information Laki, me and Alzack are actually dating now and are going out on a date later today. And you don't need to be worried about Natsu, he fought Acnologia and survived I really don't think there is much out there that can stop him now." said Bisca with a confident grin. The guild then erupted at the news of their two gun mages finally getting together which a lot of people actually yelled that it was about time, while everyone else congratulated the new couple and wished them luck and finally calmed down after five minutes.

"Oh and Laki you also don't need to be too concerned about Natsu because he has Meredy and Ultear with him. And I could tell that they are extremely strong mages just from being around them yesterday." said Macao with a big grin thinking about how lucky Natsu was to have Ultear all over him.

"I know but I am still a little worried about those two, they were both dark mages before." stated Laki with a slight frown.

"Don't worry about that too much Laki, if Natsu trusts them so should we." said Max with a big grin.

"But what if he's wrong about this?" asked Laki with a concerned look.

"Let's just hope that he isn't, and it might not be a bad idea if we keep an eye on those two until they have proven that they can be trusted." suggested Macao getting nods of agreement.

"Um guys I found this in the kitchen by the back door." said Kinana as she held up a medium sized chest.

"What is it?" asked Wakaba.

"I don't know yet but it had a note with it addressed to Fairy Tail." replied Kinana.

"Well why don't you read it for us Kinana?" asked Macao nicely.

"Okay." replied Kinana as she opened the letter but was interrupted by a messenger from the Council knocking on the front door that he held open.

"How may we help you?" asked Macao with a pleasant smile.

"I have a message from the Council. It is quite short so here it goes, we agree to your terms with the stipulation that if no drakes show up within six months Natsu Dragneel will be arrested and sentenced to five years in jail for extorting the Council. Nothing else will happen to anyone at Fairy Tail so long as he doesn't release his tape which is more than generous on the Councils part. I have also been instructed to wait in Magnolia until you have elected a new guild Master since Makarov is no longer with us." said the messenger.

"Shit that is not what I was expecting." said Wakaba.

"It's actually better than what I thought was going to happen." said Laki with a big smile.

"Leave it to the Council to come up with a way to get what they want while also being something that Natsu would be actually okay with." said Max as he shook his head.

"You mean that Natsu would be fine with going to prison for five years?" asked Kinana as she covered her mouth.

"Yes Natsu would be as long as he knew that Fairy Tail would be fine, it's just who he is. Natsu's always way more concerned about everyone else then he ever is about himself." said Reedus with a big smile.

"We are actually in the process of picking our new temporary guild Master right now." said Macao to the messenger wanting to be rid of the Council employee.

"Temporary guild Master, what are you talking about?" asked the messenger.

"Exactly that, we are not selecting a new guild Master because Master Makarov is still out there and will be coming back sometime. We just don't know when they will all be coming back." said Macao with a frown.

"But I was told that he was dead along with a large portion of your guild do to an unforeseen accident that involved Acnologia." said the messenger who was clearly confused.

"Yea accident my ass, and they are not dead, and I highly you advice the Council to inform all of their employees to never say that around the Salamander. Otherwise they probably won't be able to do any work for a long time after he's done with them." said Wakaba with a big grin on his face as he watched the messenger take a few steps back from them.

"You mages are all really crazy aren't you?" asked the messenger as he looked at all of them grinning at him like they were about to rip him to shreds.

"Yes we are and the Council would be smart to remember that, so leave now and we'll tell you who our temporary guild Master is once we decided that." said Macao.

"Fine I don't think that the Council will stand for this." replied the messenger as he started to leave.

"Like we care what they think." said Alzack.

"You guys really should and I will be staying at the inn just down the street." said the messenger as he then left the guild hall.

"Dam did that feel good, no wonder Natsu and Ultear were smiling the whole time that they were talking with Lahar and Mest." said Wakaba with a smile on his face.

"Don't you mean Doranbolt?" asked Laki with venom in her voice.

"Yea my bad." chuckled Wakaba as he scratched the back of his head.

"Kinana if you would please start reading that letter to the rest of the guild?" asked Macao with a kind smile.

"Sure thing Macao." replied Kinana and then started to read it out loud.

 _Hey Fairy Tail,_

 _This is Natsu here and before I left to go and do those jobs, I thought that it might be a good idea to leave something that might help out while I am away. I decided to give Fairy Tail my reward for taking care of that fire drake two weeks ago and from what Gramps told me it should be five million jewels and I didn't feel like counting it so whatever._

 _Oh and Ultear decided to put a communication lacrima in there so that in case of an emergency you can get in touch with us. But it is seriously only for emergencies and nothing else, Ultear was very specific about that for some reason saying that she doesn't want anyone bothering us or ruining the mood, whatever that means._

 _And as for whom we want as the temporary guild Master of Fairy Tail all three of us vote for Macao, but if you all choose someone else we are sure that they will be good. Just probably not as good as Macao would be, and Macao stop trying to deny it, you would make a good temporary guild Master._

 _See you whenever I see you,_

 _Natsu Dragneel, Ultear and Meredy._

"Well that makes four votes for Macao." said Wakaba with a big grin.

"Four what the hell is wrong with you Wakaba that was only three and they were just joking around." stated Macao angrily.

"The fourth one was me Macao, and we all know that Natsu wouldn't joke around with something like this. I mean he just gave the guild five million jewels because he was concerned about what could happen while he's gone. And with that Natsu also said who he thinks will be able to watch over Fairy Tail while he's working and I have to agree with him on this one." explained Wakaba.

"Fine whatever, let's get this done with. So everyone write who you think should be the next temporary guild Master while Master Makarov and the rest of the Tenrou group are missing." instructed Macao. Ten minutes later and all the votes were in, with Kinana tallying them up to see who was going to be the winner.

"And the next guild Master of Fairy Tail is Macao Conbolt." shouted Kinana happily.

"Don't you mean temporary guild Master." pointed out Wakaba with a big grin as Macao stood there speechless.

"Oh sorry about that." replied Kinana with a big smile.

"Are you kidding me, why on earth would you guys pick me?" asked Macao as he looked at everyone else.

"Well you are older and have more experience than the rest of us." stated Alzack.

"You also have handled the members of the Council better than anyone else." pointed out Bisca.

"I just didn't start yelling at them." stated Macao.

"Yea better than the rest of us." said Max with a big grin.

"You also have the support of Natsu and Ultear." said Nab who was still trying to find that perfect job.

"But come on there has to be someone better than me, who was the person after me?" asked Macao as he looked at Kinana.

"Well the next closest was Natsu actually but you had over ten more votes than him." answered Kinana with a big smile.

"Good then why don't we just give it to him." suggested Macao who really didn't want the position.

"And how would that be fair to Natsu, Macao? Natsu is still young and already has enough responsibilities considering that he's the only person left that can deal with any drakes that show up. And you my friend Macao have already passed your prime unlike Natsu so man up and help him out by becoming the temporary guild Master." said Wakaba with a serious expression.

"Fine but I am just concerned that I might let everyone down." replied Macao with a frown.

"You know you have the rest of us here to help you, and besides I can be your advisor so what could possibly go wrong." said Wakaba with a smirk.

"We could destroy Fairy Tail." suggested Macao.

"Like Natsu would let that happen, he seriously stood up to the whole Council just to ensure that we stick around." pointed out Wakaba.

"Good point Wakaba, well I guess we might as well go and tell the messenger our decision." stated Macao with a small smile.

"No need to Master Macao, Bisca and Alzack said they would when the left right after we found out." said Laki with a smile.

"But we just now found out." replied Macao in disbelief.

"Actually most of the guild left on jobs right after it was announced Master Macao." said Kinana with a big smile.

"Don't you think we should put temporary before Master?" asked Wakaba with a big smile.

"Nope that would be too long." answered Laki with a smile as big as Wakaba's.

"You guys really don't need to call me Master at all." stated Macao.

"But that would just feel wrong since you are the Master now, Master Macao." said Kinana with a smile causing Macao to let out a long sigh as Wakaba and Laki laughed together about Macao hating this so much.

"I swear Natsu I am going to make you pay for this." mumbled Macao to himself.

"What was that Temporary Master Macao?" asked Wakaba with a huge grin.

"It was nothing Wakaba." replied Macao as he grabbed a mug of beer and started to drink.

 **Two weeks later:**

"Please for the love of god say that this one is the correct one Ultear?" asked Natsua he started to pack up some random items that were scattered across the room. This room happened to be underground about twenty feet in the middle of absolutely nowhere and Natsu was still surprised that Ultear knew where it was.

"Just give me a second Natsu, there are a lot of books here." replied Ultear in an annoyed tone since Natsu was becoming impatient.

"Also if these things that we are collecting are as dangerous as you claim, then way are we having other people transport them back to Fairy Tail. Couldn't anyone just open them up and take whatever they wanted?" asked Natsu.

"Natsu we already explained this to you, that can't happen thanks to you and Ultear creating that spell. Which only you can be deactivate Natsu, so if anyone else tries to open them, then everything inside will be turned to ash." explained Meredy for the third time.

Meredy was now wearing a red dress that stopped at her knees and that had a pair of sleeves that went from the middle of her for arms and stopped right before they went to her shoulders. She also had a yellow ribbon tied around her stomach that doubled as belt; Meredy also had a small yellow ribbon in her hair on the left side. And to complete the rest of her outfit Meredy wore a simple pair of black shoes and had a black cloak that she felt more comfortable with since she wasn't used to being out in the public openly just yet.

"I know I am just really concerned about someone else getting some of this stuff." replied Natsu.

"We know and we are too, which is why we came up with this strategy." said Meredy with a big smile as she started to pack the books that Ultear had already looked through.

"Well I am just glad that this is the last place so we can stop using transportation." said Natsu with a big grin.

"Why would you think that we would stop using transportation Natsu?" asked Ultear with a big grin as she looked over her shoulder.

Ultear had changed her outfit since they left Fairy Tail just like Meredy. Ultear chose to go back to wearing a kimono like she used to when she was on the Council but this one was a little more elaborate than her old one. This one rather than being white was a dark red trimmed with black and still only went halfway down her thighs while also only having a left sleeve just like her previous one. And the cloth going around the waist holding it together was black with a red embroidered dragon that was on her front while wearing it.

This one also happened to show off a lot more of Ultear's cleavage while being worn, she also had black leather shoulder pads that were trimmed in red that matched the black leather choker trimmed in red with a red Fairy Tail emblem in the middle that she now wore. Ultear also wore one black glove that went halfway up her forearm on her right hand and finished the rest of her new outfit with black boots that went to her knees along with a black cloak that she wore for the same reason as Meredy.

"Because we are done collecting things from all of your hidden stashes that were all over Fiore." said Natsu as if it was as plain as day.

"True but we now have to go and do those jobs that you accepted two weeks ago and to be able to do them on time we will need to go faster than we can by walking. Besides we still haven't cured your motion sickness yet Natsu." replied Ultear in a sweet voice.

"Yea and I don't think we ever will Ultear, granted it's nowhere near as bad as it used to be but it's still bad." said Natsu as he tried to not think about how sick he used to get.

"Yes Natsu which is why we are going to keep trying, I just have a few more ideas of how to fix this Natsu." said Ultear with pleading eyes that she and Meredy quickly learned could make Natsu almost do anything.

"Fine but if I get worse because of this it's all your fault Ultear." said Natsu as he sealed the chest so that he would be the only one to open it thanks to the spell he and Ultear came up with.

"Quit being a baby Natsu and man up." stated Ultear as she went back to looking through the books trying to find a very specific one.

"I thought that's what I was doing by agreeing to go on those death traps?" asked Natsu causing Meredy to start laughing.

"You are so weird Natsu." said Meredy while still laughing.

"Man is this what Lucy had to go through when Happy and I would say that to her?" asked Natsu.

"No hers was much worse since it was you and Happy, Natsu." answered Ultear as she continued her search.

"You're probably right, and could have Hades had this book with him?" asked Natsu.

"Possibly but that would have been very unlikely since it was such a rare book and he wouldn't have wanted to risk it getting damaged in the fights that we knew would be happening." explained Ultear.

"Do you remember what it looked like so I could help look for it?" asked Natsu trying to help her out.

"Unfortunately I don't Natsu, all I know is that I couldn't read any of it and on the inside of the cover there was a dragon emblem. And actually according to Hades the only people that could read it would be dragons and their dragon slayers saying that it had to do something with their magic and trying to keep their secrets safe." explained Ultear.

"Do you mean like this dragon emblem?" asked Natsu as he showed Ultear the inside cover of a big leather book that looked as if it could be centuries old. The emblem had a dragon standing on its hind legs with its head in the air with its tongue sticking out all displayed in a side profile. The dragon's wings where sticking straight back, so that you could see the whole thing from the side profile that this emblem was in and its tail wrapped around and then went in front of the dragon. The two of these made it so that it was a circle emblem that was completely made out of a dragon.

"That's exactly what I was looking for Natsu, how on earth did you find it?" asked Ultear as she ran to him and looked at the book again.

"I just grabbed a random book, but this one does have a weird aura about it." stated Natsu as he scratched his head.

"A book can have an aura?" asked Meredy as she continued to pack up the other books.

"Usually no Meredy, but if this was made by a dragon then it wouldn't surprise me if it did have some of the dragons aura with it. Natsu can you read any of this?" explained Ultear and then asked Natsu as she pointed to a random paragraph.

"Yea, but it's about the history of dragons and other draconic creatures so not very interesting." stated Natsu who was quickly hit in the back of the head by Ultear who was angry as hell.

"Not interesting Natsu, what did I tell you about knowing your enemies?" asked Ultear as she glared at him.

"That it is essential if you want to truly beat them, but I don't see why you are telling me this Ultear. Dragons aren't my enemies and they are never going to be." stated Natsu.

"Well that might be true but what about drakes Natsu, which you have already run into and almost died to might I add? So you are going to read this entire book and memorize everything in it, plus who knows it might help you find Igneel." said Ultear with a big smile.

"Oh shit I didn't even think about that." shouted Natsu as he flipped to the first page and started to read, excited that this could possibly lead him to Igneel.

"Natsu she didn't mean right now." said Meredy with a smile but got no response from Natsu.

"He's not going to hear you Meredy, Natsu has a very one tracked mind when he wants to and right now he is thinking about finding Igneel." said Ultear as she started to help Meredy with packing up the rest of the books.

"HEHEHE he's so weird and how are we going to leave once where done?" asked Meredy.

"I think hitting him will probably break his focus, or I could do something else." said Ultear with a suggestive smile.

"Ultear remember what we talked about, Natsu isn't like other guys and it's for the best if you take it slow." said Meredy with a smile since she had a few guesses of how Ultear would accomplish that.

"I know but it might take years to get where I want." said Ultear with a frown.

"With how you are Ultear I don't see that happening, I mean you are already sleeping with him." said Meredy with a small smile.

"I wish we were." replied Ultear still frowning.

"You know what I meant Ultear, and like I said you'll eventually get there since your definition of slow is everyone else's definition of fast." said Meredy while giggling.

"Are you saying that I am easy, Meredy?" asked Ultear as she glared at her adoptive daughter.

"Far from it Ultear, I don't think I have ever seen you with another man and actually being happy like you are with Natsu. What I was meaning by that is that when you want something you go after it with everything that you have and really don't care what you have to do to obtain it." explained Meredy.

"You know you are way too smart for a girl your age Meredy." said Ultear with a proud smile.

"That's because I had a great mother who taught me everything she knows. Oh and I wanted to suggest that you really take your time with Natsu because you would really regret it later on if you ruined what you two have just because you wanted him faster." said Meredy with a big smile.

"Like I said way too smart for a thirteen year old girl, and why do you care so much about me and Natsu, Meredy?" asked Ultear as she smiled at her daughter.

"Because I think he would make a great dad." mumbled Meredy while she started to blush.

"Oh that is just too adorable." said Ultear as she hugged Meredy.

"Quit it Ultear." squeaked Meredy as she tried to get out of the hug.

"Don't worry Meredy I don't plan on messing anything up between Natsu and me, and now that I know you like him. And that you would want him as a father, I am going to make sure that everything goes smoothly no matter if it does take a few years." declared Ultear as she hugged Meredy who was no longer trying to get out of it and just enjoying it.

"Well let's get back to work since Natsu is still preoccupied with that book." said Ultear after hugging Meredy for few more minutes. Because before this Ultear was afraid to show Meredy how much she actually cared for her, since that would have been seen as a sign of weakness when she was a part of Grimoire Heart.

"About that book he has, what are we going to do with it when we are on a job?" asked Meredy as the both started to pack things up.

"I was thinking that Natsu could learn re-equip for the sole purpose of storing that book because I have a feeling he's not going to want to part with it. Since it might hold some clues as to where Igneel might be and Natsu will not let an opportunity like this slip past him." explained Ultear.

"Won't that take a while for him to learn?" asked Meredy.

"It could but Natsu's determination is something that you have to factor into this. So my guess is that he will be able to do it by the time that we get to our first job." answered Ultear with a big smile.

"I hope so, because I really don't want to get in a fight while Natsu is running around with that big book making sure that no one touches it." said Meredy who then started to laugh at the image of Natsu running around punching people while holding the book in his other hand.

"Yea let's hope that I am correct then." said Ultear as they finished putting the last book away.

"Looks like we are done here." said Meredy as she dusted off her hands.

"Natsu, we need you to seal these last three chests." said Ultear after she hit him lightly in the back of the head.

"Oh okay, can you hold this for me Meredy." said Natsu as he passed her the book and went to work on sealing the chest.

"So where are we heading to after we ship these back to Fairy Tail?" asked Ultear with a smile.

"That is up to you two, but I suggest we take the closest one." said Natsu with a grin after he sealed the last chest.

"And why is that Natsu, is it the hardest job?" asked Meredy.

"No they are all about the same level of difficulty Meredy, I chose the easiest S-Class jobs Fairy Tail had so that we could work on our team work." explained Natsu.

"Good idea Natsu, but I choose whatever job is the farthest from here." said Ultear with a grin as Natsu turned into one of complete horror.

"Why would you want that one?" asked Natsu.

"Because I know that you only want us to go to the closest one so we spend the least amount of time on any sort of transportation." replied Ultear still grinning at him.

"Is that so wrong of me to hope for something like that?" asked Natsu.

"Yes Natsu, especially when we are trying to cure you." answered Ultear with the same grin.

"You can sometimes be even meaner than Erza and Mira put together, you know that Ultear?" asked Natsu with a little glare sent her way.

"Yes I do Natsu, I just want to make sure that you know it." replied Ultear with a little giggle.

"I don't think I will ever understand women completely." said Natsu as he picked up two of the chest as if they were nothing and headed to the surface.

"Those were both full of books." said Meredy in disbelief.

"I know, so let's let him keep carrying the heavy ones and we'll take the lighter ones." said Ultear as she licked her lips.

"Sounds like a plan to me." replied Meredy with a big smile as she just carried up Natsu's book.

"You could have taken something else with that Meredy." shouted Ultear and only hearing Meredy laugh in response.

"Well I'll just take this chest then." said Ultear to herself as she too made her way out of the room.

 **Two and a half months later on a train heading to Magnolia:**

"Natsu you know that it's impolite to read while other people want to have a conversation with you?" asked Ultear as she gave him a little glare.

"Sorry Ultear I didn't know that you wanted to talk with me, and you know that I have to keep my mind distracted while I am on one of these things." said Natsu as he waved his hand at the train that they were in.

"I know so could you please put the book away and then focus on me?" asked Ultear with a smile.

"Yea no problem, but we have to keep talking otherwise I am going to have to use your lap." said Natsu as he re-equipped the book to his pocket dimension.

"Why don't you just start there so we don't have to be concerned about you getting sick at all." replied Ultear as she pulled Natsu down so his head was on her lap.

"I guess that's not a bad idea, so what did you want to talk about Ultear?" asked Natsu with a grin as he stared up at her.

"Well I was wondering what we were going to tell the guild?" asked Ultear.

"Tell the guild about what?" Natsu asked her back.

"About everything that we have sent them with the instructions of not opening any of them otherwise the contents will be destroyed. Also about your new book that you are reading constantly whenever you have any free time." replied Ultear with a smirk.

"Simple we let whoever the new Master is decide what the rest of the guild needs to know. As for my book we'll also tell them the truth about it and say that only I can read it since I am a dragon slayer and it only concerns dragon slayers." said Natsu with his usual grin.

"You make everything sound so easy." said Ultear with a loving smile.

"Well it is Ultear when you don't have to be concerned about members turning on you, like you were always afraid of happening to you when you were a member of Grimoire Heart. Because that is never going to happen at Fairy Tail and don't even try and use Doranbolt as an example Ultear, he wasn't a member of Fairy Tail so he never actually betrayed us." said Natsu still grinning at her.

"Fine Natsu, and it will still take some time getting used to that. So find out anything interesting in that book of yours?" asked Ultear with a smirk knowing that he definitely found out something new from it.

"Yea I did, did you know that there is another species of dragons that is in between dragons and drakes, size wise that is?" asked Natsu excitedly.

"No I didn't Natsu what are they called, and what's different about them?" asked Ultear with a big smile.

"Well I only know what they are called in draconic since that is what this whole book is written in, so I can't tell you what you would actually call them. But the easiest way to differentiate them from drakes and dragons would be that they have really long necks that allow them to strike like snakes do. Otherwise they are pretty much the same except they grow to be bigger than drakes but smaller than dragons like I said earlier." explained Natsu.

"That is very interesting Natsu, I wonder if you see one will you get to name it in our common tongue?" asked Ultear with a small grin.

"I don't know about that Ultear and couldn't care less about what everyone else calls them. But did you know that supposedly there is a species of half humans and half dragons?" asked Natsu once again really excitedly.

"Yea Natsu, isn't that what you are and all other dragon slayers?" asked Ultear.

"Well yes and no Ultear, yes I am no longer just human but I am definitely not this species that I was going to tell you about. Because as I said before they supposedly have tails, wings, claws and scales like a dragon but all of those are attached to a human body. Can you imagine how sweat that would be to have that and be able to fly around whenever you want?" asked Natsu with a big grin.

"Natsu you can fly already with your fire." stated Meredy.

"Yea but having wings would feel better I just know it." replied Natsu with a bigger grin than he had before.

"You are so weird Natsu." said Meredy as she started to picture what Natsu would look like if he had everything that he described. And Meredy had to admit that Natsu looked like he was something that you really didn't want to mess with and this caused her to grin.

"You just thought how awesome I would look if I had all of that didn't you Meredy?" asked Natsu as he grinned at her.

"No I didn't Natsu." denied Meredy as she looked away.

"Sure go ahead and deny it Meredy but we both know that I would look bad ass." said Natsu.

"No you wouldn't Natsu because what woman would want you if you looked like that all of the time?" asked Meredy with a triumphant grin.

"Good point Meredy, so what if I could switch between how I am right now and then into that form?" Natsu asked her back.

"Well if you could do that then it would be pretty cool." admitted Meredy with a slight blush.

"I knew it." cheered Natsu.

"So how far have you made it in that book Natsu?" asked Ultear.

"Not very far, it's hard to read and I have to jump around so that I can figure everything out about a specific topic. But I did happen to see some moves in there that I might be able to learn." answered Natsu.

"And you didn't jump straight to trying to learn those moves?" asked Ultear in disbelief.

"Nope, I assume that there is a reason why they are not towards the front and I will get to them when I get there." said Natsu with a small smile.

"You are slightly maturing." teased Ultear.

"Hey I am mature enough already, if I become any more than I will no longer be fun to hang around with." said Natsu with a grin.

"You just keep telling yourself that Natsu." said Ultear with a smirk.

"I can't believe that taking out that dark guild was considered S-Class." said Meredy with her own smirk.

"Well it did help that they were confused as to why we were attacking them when we used to be their bosses Meredy." said Ultear as she started to laugh at the memory of their completely confused faces as they attacked.

"You do have a point there Ultear." said Meredy as she joined in on laughing with Ultear. But both of them stopped laughing when they heard the sound of the communication lacrima ringing. Ultear quickly got it out from within her kimono and answered the call.

"What's going on?" asked Ultear with concern since they told them to only use it in case of emergencies.

"Where are you guys?" asked Macao who had a frown on his face.

"We are only about an hour from Magnolia, what's going on Macao?" asked Ultear again.

"Natsu is needed as soon as possible because the Council screwed up big this time." replied Macao still having a frown.

"What do you mean by that Macao?" asked Natsu.

"Wait you can talk while on a train Natsu? Never mind that isn't important right now, well the Council in all their infinite wisdom tried once again to deal with the drake by themselves so that they wouldn't have to really on you Natsu and then throw you into jail for some bullshit reasons." said Macao.

"To be expected, but get to the point where this gets worse because of those idiots." said Natsu in a serious tone.

"Well after they attacked it and got completely destroyed the drake decided to take it's anger out on the closest village. It killed everyone Natsu and it's heading to the next one to probably do the same, so once you get here Doranbolt will take you to the town that will hopefully not be under attack yet." explained Macao.

"Doranbolt?" growled Natsu.

"I know I am not a fan of him either Natsu but if we don't use him it will take you a few hours to get to the drake which will mean other people will die." said Macao with a frown.

"Don't worry Macao; I will get along with him in order to save lives. But why doesn't he just teleport here and then take me there?" asked Natsu who then listened to Macao ask Doranbolt the same question.

"He said that if he messed up he would probably get killed by the train so he isn't going to risk it since you are already almost here." answered Macao.

"I guess that makes sense when lives are on the line, glad to see that he isn't tucking his tail and running like last time." said Natsu with a grin.

"No I think that he won't be doing that with this one Natsu since it killed most of his and Lahar's regimen." replied Macao still frowning.

"I would laugh at them if good men hadn't died, but I guess the Council will now start taking this seriously now." said Natsu who now was also frowning.

"We can only hope Natsu." said Macao.

"Well congratulations on being the temporary guild Master Macao." said Natsu with a smile now on his face.

"Thanks Natsu and it is really weird hearing your voice while I see Ultear, not that I mind looking at her. And how did you know that I was picked as the next guild master Natsu?" asked Macao as he finally had a smile on his face.

"Well we all thought that you would be good at it Macao and when you were the one to call us that pretty much confirmed it." answered Natsu.

"I guess that makes sense Natsu, but I am going to have to punish you two for convincing the others to pick me." said Macao with a grin.

"What about Meredy?" asked Natsu.

"Master Macao we didn't do anything but tell you that we thought that you would be a good Master and then voted for you." said Ultear with a grin.

"Meredy's fine because she didn't say anything the night that you were here last like you two which is what convinced some of the other members to pick me." said Macao.

"AHAHAHAH so who would've been the next Master if it wasn't you Master Macao?" asked Natsu in playful tone.

"You wouldn't believe me Natsu, so I am going to keep that information to myself. Also what did you two want me to do with all of the stuff that you guys shipped here?" asked Macao.

"They contain those things that we talked about earlier Master Macao, so we were going to leave it up to the new Master which just so happens to be you." said Ultear with a big smile.

"You two are really enjoying this aren't you?" asked Macao with a scowl.

"Most definitely Master Macao." replied Ultear as she and Natsu laughed.

"Keep laughing you two but remember that I am now your superior thanks to you two. As for what to do with those objects we will discuss that when you get back here Natsu after dealing with the drake. We can talk more when you are all here, see you guys then." said Macao who then cut off the connection ending the call.

"Looks like I don't get that break I was hoping for." said Natsu as he let out a sigh.

"You know that you were never going to get that, best case senario you were going to be training members for the next week." said Ultear with a smile.

"Yea, that is a break compared to dealing with a drake." said Natsu with a frown.

"True but this is one of the reasons that you have been reading that book all of the time Natsu. So that you would know their weak spots so that you would be able to deal with them without almost dying this time." said Ultear with a faint smile.

"Yea but I really wish that I didn't have to kill them." said Natsu with a frown.

"Maybe you won't have to Natsu, you never know if you don't try." said Meredy with a big grin.

"I guess you are right Meredy, but this time I am not going to try after the drake has made its intentions clear." said Natsu with a frown.

"Glad to see that you are learning from your previous mistakes." said Ultear as she started to run her left hand through his hair.

"Well I am going to get some rest before I have to take this drake down." said Natsu as he closed his eyes.

"Probably a smart idea Natsu and we'll wake you before we get there." said Ultear as she continued to run her hands through his hair.

 **Less than an hour later at Fairy Tail:  
**

"Where the hell is he?" asked Lahar who was bandaged up.

"Settle down Lahar the train just pulled in like a minute ago." replied Doranbolt who looked like he was still in okay conditions.

"Doranbolt is right Lahar, Natsu will be here as soon as possible." said Macao with a grin.

"He better be because people could be dying right now." stated Lahar.

"Yea and that would once again be happening thanks to the Council thinking they know everything." said Natsu as he entered the guild hall with Ultear and Meredy following right behind him.

"Good that you finally showed up Natsu." said Lahar with still some disgust in his voice.

"Glad to see you too Lahar, since time is of the essence here I am going to cut to the chase how much am I getting paid to do this?" asked Natsu with a serious expression.

"Paid, what the hell are you talking about Natsu?" asked Lahar.

"You know those things called jewels that everyone is always after for some reason." replied Natsu with a grin.

"Why would you get paid for this, you already got all of your demands met?" asked Lahar.

"Yea and that was only concerning this recording here not being released Lahar. I am not going to go and clean up the Council's mess without getting paid when I could easily die on this mission Lahar. That would be stupid also if you are good at something you shouldn't do that thing for free, especially if it helps the council but that is just a personal rule I came up for myself after the Council came after Fairy Tail." explained Natsu with his grin still present.

"I can't believe that I just heard that from you Nastu." said Lahar in disbelief.

"Well you did Lahar my old buddy and this is all thanks to your beloved Council. They taught me how the world actually is and it is one that will screw you over if you let it." replied Natsu as he sat down at the bar.

"Let me call the Council quickly." said Lahar with anger in his voice but honestly couldn't blame Natsu after what the Council tried to do to him and Fairy Tail.

"Hey Master Macao who's that girl over there?" asked Natsu as he pointed to the table that had Alzack and Bisca sitting right next to each other while they talked with the new girl across from them.

"Oh she's a new member that joined about a month and half ago along with a few others. They joined Fairy Tail after hearing what you have done and also that you are the only one that can deal with the drakes. Honestly it was not what I was expecting to happen after we lost the Tenrou group." answered Macao with a smile.

"Me either Master Macao, where are the other new members?" asked Natsu.

"They are out on jobs, after some of the other members told them your plans about keeping Fairy Tail number one. They were all eager to help out which is why it's this empty." explained Macao with a grin.

"So how is it being the Master, Master Macao?" asked Ultear with a big grin.

"Not too bad, but man are our mages taking Natsu's suggestion about causing destruction to heart. It also didn't help that they knew you gave the guild five million jewels that were supposed to be used for whatever the guild needed. Which so happens to be paying for repairs, but I have finally gotten most of them to settle down on the amount of destruction." said Macao with a really long sigh.

"AHAHAHAH see you are already making a great guild Master Macao, oh and here's another million jewels as a sorry about getting them to cause so much damage." said Natsu while laughing at the older fire mage.

"Thanks but you really don't need to give me that Natsu, the guild is already taking a cut from each job you take." said Macao as he tried to turn down the jewels.

"I know that but it doesn't hurt if Fairy Tail actually starts to have some jewels stored away for a rainy day." said Natsu as he dropped the stack of jewels on the counter and got up.

"Where are you going Natsu?" asked Meredy.

"Just going to say hi to the new member, what to join?" asked Natsu with a big grin.

"Sure Natsu, it sounds fun." answered Meredy with a big smile.

"I think I will join you two." said Ultear as she got up and they headed towards the table but were stopped right before they got there by Lahar.

"The Council has agreed to pay you the same amount as they did for the first drake that you took care of, and will continue to pay you that much for any drakes in the future. But any damages that you cause will come out of the reward, are these terms agreeable Natsu?" asked Lahar who really hoped that they were.

"Sounds great to me." said Natsu.

"Good, then Doranbolt take him there right now." said Lahar.

"Hey new girl, welcome to Fairy Tail. I wish I could stay and get to know you but duty calls." said Natsu right before Doranbolt grabbed him and teleported away.

"Was that the Salamander?" asked the new girl who hadn't noticed him when he came in and talked with Lahar or Macao.

"That it was, and don't worry he'll be back in a day or two with that grin on his face that he usually has." said Bisca with a smile.

"Well that is what we're hoping for anyway." said Ultear as she sat down at their table.

"Of course he will Ultear, he's the mighty Salamander who fought Acnologia and survived. Oh hi there, my name's Meredy and I am actually a new member of Fairy Tail also." said Meredy as she sat down and shook the new girl's hand.

"Hi Meredy my names Kei Hoshi." replied the new girl while shaking Meredy's hand.

"Hello Kei my names Ultear and just like you and Meredy I am also a new member." greeted Ultear as she offered a hand to shake.

"Hi Ultear it's a pleasure to meet you, so why haven't I seen you or Meredy around?" asked Kei.

"That would be because we were with Natsu running some errands for the guild and doing some jobs." replied Ultear.

"Not just some jobs, but four S-Class jobs." stated Bisca with a big smile.

"They weren't that hard and probably shouldn't have been classified as S-Class." stated Meredy.

"Of course you guys would think that because you three are strong mages." said Alzack with a big grin.

"Wow you got to actually go on a job with the Salamander?" asked Kei in awe because of all the stories that she has heard about Natsu.

"Yea it's really not that big of a deal Kei, I bet if you ask him Natsu would definitely go on a job with you." said Meredy with a big grin.

"Really do you think so?" asked Kei.

"Probably if you ask him after he's done training other members." said Ultear with a smile.

"Wait so it's true that he's going to train members of the guild?" asked Kei.

"Yep, anyone that wants to that is and I bet he's going to get more people than he expected." said Meredy with a big smile.

"Oh I am still not that comfortable with big groups." said Kei with a small frown.

"Well if that is the case, then just ask him for more individual lessons, Natsu would be more than happy to do that for you." said Ultear with a small smile.

"You really think so, I mean I don't even know him yet." said Kei.

"Doesn't matter Kei, you have the Fairy Tail emblem on you that makes you family to Natsu and he would do anything for his family." said Alzack with a big grin as the other girls nodded their heads in agreement.

 **End of Chapter**

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. This chapter turned out to be longer than I expected but I needed to explain some things and set up some stuff for later chapters. Also the next chapter of this is going to start with Natsu and the new drake having their battle. So as always feel free to leave me a review.**

 **Until the next chapter**

 **Digem Out!**


	5. Drakes and Training Begins

Ch 5: Drakes and Training Begins

 **Outside of a small village that is close to where Cait Shelter used to be:**

"So what can you tell me about this drake?" asked Natsu who was sitting under a tree with his back against the trunk.

"Well from what I've been told it's the same size as the other one." stated Doranbolt who was scanning the skies for said Drake.

"So it's fully grown, that's good to know." replied Natsu as stretched his arms.

"How do you know that?" asked Doranbolt after hearing Natsu's comment.

"It's kind of my job Doranbolt, I mean I am a dragon slayer for Chist's sake. It's not like I randomly started to call myself that, I have been trained to take out their much larger relatives and since that is the case I have been doing some research over the last three months." answered Natsu with a grin.

"Well that good to hear because we would all be royally screwed if you went missing or got yourself killed." said Doranbolt with a small smile.

"That is why I am going to keep sticking around, also it doesn't hurt that the Council is going to have sit back and let me be. Especially after their latest screw up, so what else can you tell me about this drake?" asked Natsu with a slight grin.

"Well first off don't let the color of its scales trick you like we let it do to us. It is almost completely white with just a bit of blue here and there, and its element is water which surprised us because we thought that it was going to be an air drake. And because of that and many other mistakes we lost a lot of good men today." said Doranbolt with a frown.

"I am truly sorry about that Doranbolt, but now the Council will no longer send you guys out to die pointlessly. They will hopefully have you guys help evacuate the civilians and other things like that, while they let me do the fighting." said Natsu with a sad face since he had nothing against the Rune Knights that died because of the stupidity of the Council.

"Yea that is what most of the other Rune Knights will be doing, but I am pretty sure I will be stuck on standby in case we need to get you quickly." said Doranbolt with a faint smile.

"That is an important job I guess, since who knows where I am going to be when the next one of these bastards shows up." said Natsu with a smile.

"Yea but I want to do more." stated Doranbolt.

"Just doing that could possibly save countless lives Doranbolt, I mean look how fast you got me here. It would have taken at least five hours for me to get here without you and we have already gotten the village evacuated thanks to you Doranbolt." said Natsu trying to make sure that Doranbolt knew how much he has already done.

"Yea but I couldn't do anything on Tenrou Island, and because of that they are gone." said Doranbolt.

"Christ are you still sulking over that Doranbolt, first off they are going to be coming back some time. And second I can already tell that you were probably trying to do something but were being held back in fear that Acnologia might turn on you guys meaning that you're an okay guy. And I really can't blame whoever was in charge because they were just trying to keep their men safe." said Natsu as he started to scan the sky as well.

"Really, you actually think that?" asked Doranbolt.

"Which part about me thinking that you are an overall an okay guy, or that whoever was in charge was just trying to keep his men safe?" asked Natsu as he locked onto a specific area of the sky.

"Both actually Natsu." replied Doranbolt.

"Well they are both what I am thinking right now, but I am still pissed as hell for what you tried to do Fairy Tail. But then again you were just doing your job, I am also pissed that the Council boats just sat there the whole time and didn't even try to help when my friends where attacking Acnologia. But once again I can understand after my friends attacks did nothing why you guys turned around like cowards and ran." said Natsu with a frown.

"But you didn't Natsu, you challenged that dragon and charged straight in." said Doranbolt.

"Yea I did which pretty much says I am bat shit crazy doesn't it." said Natsu with a little chuckle.

"That is one way of looking at it, I like to think of it as incredibly brave and it says that you are willing to give up your life for your friends Natsu." said Doranbolt with a grin.

"That is stupid Doranbolt, yes it could be seen as brave but I don't want to die for my friends I want to keep living for them. That doesn't mean I won't die for them, which is actually probably how I am going to go out, but like I told one of my friends the best thing you can do for your friends is keep living so that you can keep defending them." said Natsu with a faint smile as he remembered when he told Erza a similar statement.

"That is definitely a good way to live your life." replied Doranbolt with a smile.

"It's how I live mine but now it's time to get this party started." said Natsu as he walked forward into the middle of the meadow that he was near.

"What are you talking about Natsu?" asked Doranbolt.

"You'll see and you might want to get back because who knows how messy this is going to be." replied Natsu with a big grin.

"Okay Natsu, I really don't want to get in your way." said Doranbolt as he then teleported into the trees that were about a mile away from the meadow and just as he got there he heard Natsu let out his challenging roar that sounded just like it did when he challenged Acnologia. There was a slight pause then another roar came from not that far off and was then followed by the white drake dropping from the clouds and landing in front of Natsu about fifty yards way.

The first thing Natsu noticed was that it had the same color placement as Zechum except for swap grey with white and read with blue. Natsu also notice that overall this drake wasn't as bulky as Zechum was and looked leaner and more agile which was going to make this fight even harder than Natsu was already planning for it to be. The third and final thing that Natsu noticed about this drake was that on the head of the drake it had two big blue horns that twisted and then went backwards away from its snout.

"How is it possible that a human made such a mighty roar?" asked the drake in what Natsu had to guess was a feminine voice for a drake.

"Because I am a dragon slayer and would really prefer that we end this peacefully." replied Natsu standing his ground and not showing an ounce of fear.

"Of course you would suggest something like that when you have no chance of winning human, but you do have a strange scent about you that is more than just being a dragon slayer." said the drake as she started to lick the air to try and figure out what it was that she was smelling.

"I really don't think that will be happening drake, I am asking to end this peacefully so I won't have to kill you." said Natsu.

"Like you could even do that slayer, you are still young by human standards." said the drake as she continued to lick the air.

"Yea the fire drake Zechum said similar things but he forced me to kill him, I hope that you are smart enough to take me up on this offer." said Natsu with a small grin as he noticed the drake slightly move back from him.

"So that was part of what I smelt on you slayer, I will admit that is quite impressive for one as young as you. But fire drakes are always so brash and never think things through and I can only assume that he didn't think of you as a worthy opponent." replied the drake as she started to slowly circle around Natsu as he made sure that he never had his back exposed to her.

"Then how would I know his name drake, don't you only give your name to an opponent that you see as an actual worthy opponent?' asked Natsu with a grin.

"That we do slayer and it seems that you know a lot for being just a hatchling." said the drake with a grin.

"I may be a hatchling but that doesn't mean I don't have fangs that are ready to rip you to shreds if you chose to have this fight." replied Natsu causing the drake to start to laugh.

"You are a unique slayer that is for sure, trying to resolve this peacefully when usually your kind just wants to kill and keep killing. What is your name slayer and why do you not want to fight me like I expected you to?" asked the drake as she grinned at Natsu still circling him.

"First off I can see that you are getting closer to me drake so stop that right now unless you want to start this fight right now." said Natsu as he glared at the drake that stopped and only had a bigger grin on her face.

"You have a very keen eye slayer." said the drake.

"I have been told that before and it was from someone a little more intimidating than you and my name is Natsu Dragneel son of Igneel the Fire Dragon King. As for why I don't want to fight you the reason for that is actually very simple, if we start this fight one of us is going to die and I get absolutely no joy out of ending someone's life." replied Natsu with a small frown.

"That is very interesting Dragneel, Igneel was a very well know and feared dragon in his time. Might I ask what happened to him Dragneel?" asked the drake.

"I am wondering the same thing, I just woke up one morning and he was gone. So I have a question for you drake, why are you guys coming back after being gone for such a long time?" asked Natsu while still remaining on guard.

"You aren't going to ask me what my name is Dragneel?" asked the drake with a smirk.

"Why ask a question that I won't get the answer to, that is something that you have to give to me when you want to." replied Natsu while carefully watching all of her movements.

"You know so much yet also so little, but that is to be expected of a simple slayer as yourself Dragneel. As for your actual question that you asked me all I can say is that it was time for our return, and my name is Tyazem for your information Dragneel." said the drake with a bigger smirk.

"Shit does this mean we're going to fight Tyazem?" asked Natsu with a slight frown.

"Yes it does Dragneel, I would gain a lot of honor for killing the son of the Fire Dragon King and that is something I will not pass up." said Tyazem as she slammed her tail down where Natsu used to be standing.

"Dammit Tyazem I really didn't' want to kill you." said Natsu as he rolled out of the way of another tail coming down.

"So far it looks like I have the upper hand Dragneel." replied Tyazem as she continued to swing her tail which Natsu kept dodging by rolling out of the way. That is until Natsu twisted out of the way of her next attack letting it come down only a few centimeters away from him as he brought back his arm for his first attack.

 **"FIRE DRAGON'S PIERCING CLAW!"** shouted Natsu as he jabbed his arm straight into the underside of her tail as Tyazem was lifting it up, knowing that it was one of the weaker spots on her body. Natsu quickly rolled out of the way right after landing that blow, barely dodging Tyazem's tail as she roared in pain.

"You'll pay for that Dragneel!" shouted Tyazem as she charged up a roar and then unleashed it on Natsu who was lucky enough to see this coming.

 **"FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!"** shouted Natsu as he sent his roar directly at the incoming roar. They collided and fought for dominance while producing a lot of steam and finally ending in a draw, with Natsu realizing that he just made a terrible mistake.

"Shit not this crap again." shouted Natsu in frustration.

"So this has happened to you before Dragneel?" asked Tyazem as she slipped quietly thorough the steam.

"Yes it has, Zechum did the same thing but with smoke and dust." said Natsu as he got ready for the incoming attack.

"That was very clever of him." said Tyazem from Natsu's right side where he quickly turned to only to be surprised bay hearing a loud thud from behind him. Natsu quickly turned back around ready to dodge any sort of attack coming from that direction when he then heard the unmistakable sound of claws hitting each other from the direction that he just turned from.

So Natsu off of pure instinct jumped to his right to get out of the way of the charging Tyazem, but because of being tricked Natsu didn't get away unscathed. Two long gashes were ripped through his vest leaving two equally long cuts on Natsu's right side.

"Shit that hurt." said Natsu as he used his left hand to quickly seal them up.

"You're lucky to still be alive, Dragneel." said Tyazem from inside of the steam as she plotted her next move.

"I am sick of this shit, why can't you drakes just fight me on even grounds?" asked Natsu as he ignited both of his fists and started to build up magic in them.

"Because where would be the fun in that Dragneel." said Tyazem pulling the same move but this time she was going to be coming from where she made the noise this time. But Tyazem was surprised to see Natsu make no movements to either locations and stood still in the middle of the steam, thinking that he had given up Tyazem lunged. But she was definitely wrong on that assumption because when she was ten feet from him Natsu unleashed his own move.

 **"FIRE DRAGON'S IMPLOSION!"** shouted Natsu as he smashed his fists together as Tyazem's claws were only two feet away from slicing him in half. The next second there was a huge fiery explosion that originated from Natsu that had enough force behind it to send Tyazem tumbling away. Tyazem finally skidded to a stop and was now covered in light burns, which surprised her since she really didn't think Natsu had that much power behind his flames.

Tyazem staggered to her feet as Natsu slowly walked his way over to her, his eye locked with hers and giving her a steely glare. All of the steam was gone thanks to Natsu's explosion that he made which reduced everything around him to ash, except for Tyazem that is.

"That was quite the move Dragneel." said Tyazem once Natsu was only fifteen yards ahead of her.

"It's something I came up with for a situation like that and it worked." replied Natsu with a grin but lost that grin when a stream of water shot from Tyazem's mouth directly at him. Natsu being taken by surprise by the zero build up for her roar was hit straight in the chest and launched back about twenty yards where he skidded to a stop still standing.

"Shit!" was what Natsu said as he looked back up at Tyazem who was already doing her next attack and if he had to guess it was a wing attack. The reason Natsu thought this was due to the fact that Tyazem had her wings out stretched and he could see water coating them, giving them enhanced strength and durability.

Tyazem lunged at him giving Natsu really only two choices, either going above the attack or below it. And Natsu chose to go above it, so at the last possible second Natsu jumped over Tyazem and unleashed the attack that he had been building up during that very short amount of time.

 **"FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!"** shouted Natsu as he was right above her, as he unleashed it straight on her back. Just as his roar made contact with Tyazem's back something unexpected made contact with Natsu's back and launched him away from Tyazem and ending his roar prematurely.

Staggering to his feet Natsu knew what he forgot something that all dragons have and it was that damn tail of Tyazem that sent him flying but she wasn't going to give him time to recompose. Tyazem was right on Natsu swinging away with her claws but this time it was slightly different because they were coated with water giving them additional range that Natsu wasn't counting on and he paid for that dearly.

"Aargh!" shouted Natsu in pain as three horizontal cuts appeared on his chest. But Tyazem didn't let up and continued her assault on Natsu who was finding it really hard to keep up with her speed. And because of that got a few more cuts on his arms and legs while either dodging an attack or deflecting one that would have otherwise been fatal. Natsu was really getting fed up with this so he decided to use his trump card that he was really hoping that he didn't have to use to win this fight.

"I'm done with this Tyazem!" shouted Natsu as a pillar of flames shot up around him causing Tyazem to pull back from her assault. While doing so Tyazem smelt that scent that she couldn't put her finger on and it was now coming off of Natsu in waves while he was doing whatever this new move was. But right as Natsu's flames started to die down Tyazem realized what that smell was and she was so shocked by it that she couldn't even move.

"Why do you smell of that terrible monster, Dragneel?" shouted Tyazem in fear and anger.

"If you are talking about Acnologia, which I can only assume you are since you have frozen in fear Tyazem." said Natsu who then disappeared from her sight due to her still being shocked.

"I smell of that monster because I battled him about three months ago and still have his scent because I got covered in his blood." said Natsu from somewhere that Tyazem couldn't see him as she scanned around for him. Still in shock that he actually battled Acnologia and lived to tell the tale which is something that is completely unheard of.

"But how Dragneel?" asked Tyazem as she then felt something on her back right in between her wings.

"Like this Tyazem, **FIRE DRAGON'S PIERCING TALON!"** shouted Natsu as he held Tyazem's left wind and kicked at the base of the wing and cutting straight through it with his flame covered foot. Tyazem roared to the heavens because this was the most pain that she had ever been in and it only continued as Natsu quickly did the same to her right wing before she could even do anything.

"This is why I didn't want to fight Tyazem because as I said before I don't get any joy out of killing you." said Natsu as he stood right in front of her allowing her to finally see him after he made that pillar of flames. And Tyazem could see the slight forming of scales that now covered his body and could clearly see that he was in dragon force right now.

"It isn't over yet Dragneel, not as long as I still draw breath." growled Tyazem as she tried to come up with a new strategy which was hard since she lost her wings.

"That will soon be fixed Tyazem." said Natsu as he charged her. This time Tyazem could follow his movements because she was over her shock and new that she could die within a few seconds if she wasn't careful. Natsu appeared to be going for her hind legs so she swung her tail at him but was once again shocked at what Natsu did.

Rather than dodging it he caught it and was of course pushed back five feet before he stopped her attack completely. But before Tyazem could do anything Natsu unleashed another attack on her tail.

 **"FIRE DRAGON'S PIERCING CLAW!"** shouted Natsu as he stabbed his arm straight into the side of the tail and then said another spell.

 **"INFERNO!"** shouted Natsu causing Tyazem to feel like the inside of her tail was on fire which it actually was. Tyazem once again roared in pain and then flung Natsu off of her tail and charged at him in a blind rage, slashing and biting away like a rabid dog that only wanted to rip apart whatever was in front of it.

Natsu not being ready for this blind rage was now on the defense and was dodging and parrying Tyazem's attacks slowly getting more wounds all across his body. Luckily since he was in dragon force the wounds weren't as fatal as they would have been if he was in dragon force, Natsu was just waiting for the perfect time to finally finish the battle. And it came when Tyazem did a very sloppy bite that Natsu barely had to dodge which allowed him to be right next to her head with his arm pulled back ready to strike.

 **"FIRE DRAGON'S PIERCING CLAW!"** shouted Natsu as he plunged his arm through Tyazem's eye just like he did to Zechum but stopped before it was fatal. Tyazem's body dropped right when Natsu landed the blow and she was now just waiting for him to finish the job and let her go to the next world.

"Any last words Tyazem, it's the least I can do for an opponent that fought as ferocious as you did?" asked Natsu with a small frown.

"Nothing Dragneel, except for telling you that you're a great warrior and it's an honor to die by your hand. And that I know Igneel would be proud of you and how honorable you are Dragneel." said Tyazem in between labored breaths.

"Thanks Tyazem, **INFERNO!"** shouted Natsu as he quickly reduced everything in Tyazem's skull to ash. Natsu then removed his arm while deactivating dragon force and then let out his victory roar while also shooting flames into the sky. Once he was done with that he looked back at the second drake that he killed and couldn't help but feel sad that he had to take their lives.

Doranbolt who was still about a mile away watched the battle and could tell that it was a fierce one and once he saw Natsu let out his victory roar and that the drake wasn't moving Doranbolt waited another ten minutes to be sure that it was over. Once those ten minutes were over what he came upon was not at all what he was expecting, Natsu was covered in blood and gore and when he looked at the drake he noticed that a large area of its scales were missing. And along with the missing scales were the claws and teeth of the drake, making him wonder what in the world Natsu was thinking.

"What are you doing Natsu?" asked Doranbolt as he stared at the mage covered in blood.

"That is none of your business Doranbolt, this is slayer affairs that I am just about to finish here. After which could you possibly take me somewhere else before you drop me off at Fairy Tail?" asked Natsu with a grin that looked really creepy with him covered in blood that Doranbolt knew wasn't just the drakes.

"Sure thing Natsu, it's the least I can do after you took out this drake for us." replied Doranbolt with a nervous smile because Natsu seemed more frightening when covered in blood.

"Thanks Doranbolt, **FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!"** shouted Natsu as he unleashed his roar on the corpse of the drake and kept it going for a long time. After he stopped the corpse was now burning and Natsu knew that it was going to be reduced to nothing but ash within an hour.

"Alright done here Doranbolt, if you could take me to the first drake I fought I would like to dispose of his body properly. I would have done it then but almost dying kind of got in the way." said Natsu with a chuckle.

"You don't say Natsu and sure thing." said Doranbolt as he grabbed Natsu's shoulder and teleported to the first drake's corpse. Zechum's corpse was now missing its head, wings and a few claws, seeing this caused Natsu to let out a deep growl.

"I can only assume that this is the Council's doing?" asked Natsu knowing the answer.

"Yes it is and they are actually planning on taking the rest of the body so that they can run tests on it." replied Doranbolt with a frown.

"I am actually impressed that they were able to get the head off, but the scales lose more than half their strength once the drake or dragon dies. But I am still impressed that they got it off, how many days did that take them?" asked Natsu as he started to remove the remaining claws but cutting away with his flames.

"It took them about a month, and it also took them that long to find men willing to come up here and actually find the body. Which is actually why it hasn't been taken yet, since it's in such a remote location and most of the men fear that there are more drakes around." replied Doranbolt with a small smile.

"They are right to be afraid of more drakes, they are actually known to hunt in pairs and sometimes even packs as big as ten." said Natsu as he started to remove a big patch of scales, making Doranbolt really curious on what he was doing but decided that he would ask later when things weren't still so tense between the two of them.

"Really, that is not good news at all. What in the world are you going to do if a pair shows up and I don't even want to imagine a pack coming?" asked Doranbolt.

"That would be to keep doing what I am doing right now Doranbolt, try and solve it without fighting but knowing drakes that is an unlikely chance of succeeding. So I would then fight them and you are correct to be afraid of a pack because those were how they usually took down dragons whenever they fought." said Natsu as he continued to work away.

"Why are you telling me all of this Natsu?" asked Doranbolt.

"Because I might die and it would be bad if the Council was completely in the dark about these things if I am no longer here to protect their sorry asses." said Natsu with a smirk.

"But I thought that you hated the Council?" asked Doranbolt with a very confused expression.

"I do and probably always will for the shit that they have done to me and Fairy Tail, but I do care about the citizens of Fiore and if I am gone then the Council is going to have to try and protect the citizens. And they won't be able to do a good job of that if you guys are stumbling around like blind bats." said Natsu with a chuckle at the end.

"So do you want me to tell my bosses this information Natsu?" asked Doranbolt.

"That is completely up to you Doranbolt, like I said before you seem to be an okay guy so I will leave that decision up to you. I have already done my part, knowing that if I do kick the bucket that the council will have at least some idea of what could possibly be coming." answered Natsu as he finished taking off the scales and re-equipped them away to the shock of Doranbolt.

"When the hell could you use re-equip Natsu?" asked Doranbolt.

"Since I started my training Doranbolt, and it shouldn't shock you that much, there are plenty of mages out there that know multiple types of magic. By the way why did you join the Council and not become a guild mage?" asked Natsu as he backed up from the corpse.

"Well I did that thinking that I would be able to help more people this way." replied Doranbolt with his head down.

"Best reason I have ever heard for why someone is working for the Council now only if there were more men like you on the Council. If that was the case then I would probably not despise it and its members that only care about how much power they have and what people think of them. Their main concern should be the citizens of Fiore and not any of that other bullshit! **FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!"** shouted Natsu as he lit Zechum's corpse on fire.

Doranbolt was taken aback by Natsu's words and how strongly he believed that the Council's main concern should be the citizens of Fiore which Doranbolt couldn't agree with Natsu more on. As he looked at Natsu spewing flames out of his mouth he honestly couldn't disagree with the main consensus that he was an idiot that only cared about fighting. Sure he was very odd and did things his own way, but after what he's done in the last four months him being an idiot would be the last way that Doranbolt would ever describe Natsu Dragneel. And Doranbolt could see that Natsu was already thinking ahead on how to deal with these drakes and make sure that Fairy Tail was protected and absolutely nothing was going to stand in between Natsu and him doing that last one.

"Well I am done here Doranbolt, so if you could take me back to Fairy Tail that would really be appreciated." said Natsu with a little grin as he turned away from the burning corpse.

"Of course Natsu, besides that is where I left Lahar." replied Doranbolt with a grin.

"Wow you are a terrible friend Doranbolt, we better get back there before he's torn apart." chuckled Natsu.

 **At Fairy Tail a few moments earlier:**

"Where are those two?" asked Lahar as he paced about back and forth at the bar where Macao was sitting.

"Settle down Lahar, knowing Natsu he is just having fun fighting for his life and then probably convinced Doranbolt to go and get food with him." said Macao with a big grin.

"Master Macao is correct on that Lahar, and if they didn't go get food Natsu probably took Doranbolt to do who knows what." said Ultear as she sat down next to Macao and had a big grin on her face.

"I am glad that you two have such great faith in Salamander, but I fought that beast and it's no pushover." said Lahar as he shook his head.

"And neither is Natsu, otherwise he wouldn't have survived on Tenrou Island which is where I am guessing Natsu took Doranbolt." said Meredy as she sat down next to Ultear with a big smile.

"But the island is completely gone." stated Lahar in disbelief that Natsu would ever want to go back to such a place.

"For now that is." replied Ultear still grinning at him.

"Ultear I like your new outfit, it looks really good on you." said Macao with a big grin.

"Thanks Master Macao, but I got it so that Natsu would stare at me not you." said Ultear as she gave him a playful glare.

"You all are crazy you know that, they are all dead despite whatever Salamander believes the island is gone." said Lahar with a scowl.

"What was that Lahar, were you saying Natsu please beat the living shit out of me more than that drake already did?" asked Natsu with grin that scared everyone there since he was covered in blood and now standing in the middle of the guild hall.

"Natsu what happened to you?" asked Ultear who was concerned for him.

"Oh this, only about half of it is mine." replied Natsu as he looked down at himself and then looked back up with a big smile on his face that still looked incredibly creepy.

"Natsu that is still way too much for someone to lose." said Meredy in a concerned voice.

"I actually feel pretty good even though I just got done fighting for my life. But I promise that I am okay, see watch this Meredy." said Natsu as he ignited his whole body in flames that covered every inch of him. When he did this they all heard a panicked scream come from Kei as she backed away from Natsu and straight into the wall where she continued to scream.

"Hey it's okay new girl this doesn't hurt me at all." Natsu tried to explain over Kei's screams. Realizing that this was more than her thinking that he might have caught on fire Natsu dispersed the flames now revealing him no longer covered in blood.

"HEY LOOK AT ME!" shouted Natsu causing Kei to look and see that he was no longer covered in flames and then broke down into tears. This caused Natsu to instantly hug the girl and start to comfort her to the best of his abilities which seemed to be not too bad.

"Shh its okay, noting bad is going to happen. And I promise that I won't catch on fire again." Natsu whispered into Kei's ear as she continued to cry.

"Shh I promise that there won't be any more fire just please stop crying." said Natsu quietly.

"I'm sorry Salamander I am just not good with fire." said Kei as she started to calm down.

"That's fine even though that's going to make it hard for us to be friends since I am pretty much just fire in human form." said Natsu with a big grin that caused Kei to laugh.

"Something tells me that won't stop you from figuring out how to make it work Salamander." replied Kei with a little giggle.

"You got that right, but you really don't need to call me Salamander. Natsu is what everyone usually calls me by Miss?" asked Natsu with a smile.

"Sorry Salamander I mean Natsu, my names Kei Hoshi." said Kei as she blushed in embarrassment and also do to the fact that Natsu was still hugging her.

"Well Kei I am really sorry that I scared you and will try not to do it again. And just like I said before I left, welcome to Fairy Tail and if you need anything at all don't be afraid to ask. Because here at Fairy Tail we're a family that looks out for each other and are willing to even go against Council bastards like Lahar of over there." said Natsu with a big grin as he let go of Kei.

"Hey!" shouted Lahar not liking Natsu referring to him as a Council bastard.

"Oh you know I love you Lahar with all of your grumpiness included." teased Natsu causing a few members of Fairy Tail to chuckle at his antics.

"Well I am glad that you succeeded on your mission Salamander and so is the Council." said Lahar as he went back to his usual expressionless face.

"Yea that is until they can figure out a way to get rid of me while not being overrun by drakes or having me release this tape." said Natsu with a big grin as he waved a lacrima recording in front of Lahar.

"Do you just have one of those in your pockets at all time so you can rub it in my face Salamander?" asked Lahar with a small frown.

"Actually yes Lahar, because it's just too much fun seeing you try and keep that stoic face of yours." answered Natsu with a big grin.

"Well despite whatever you may believe about the Council, but after today's unfortunate events I am sure that getting rid of you is going to be the last thing that they are concerned about Salamander. Since you were correct about more of those drakes appearing, the Council is thankful that they can rely on you for dealing with them Salamander. And you should receive your reward some time tomorrow and thank you for avenging my men Salamander." said Lahar with a very small smile.

"No problem Lahar I just wish that the Council would have just called me rather than sending you guys out there." said Natsu with a frown.

"You and me both Salamander, well we will leave you with your guild since you just got back." said Lahar as he and Doranbolt then started to leave the guild.

"Hey Lahar." shouted Natsu.

"Yes Salamander?" asked Lahar.

"You aren't that bad of a guy either Lahar, and I can understand that you wanted to protect your men. I just wanted to let you know that before you two went back to that shitty Council to go off and do something else." said Natsu with a small grin.

"Thanks Salamander." replied Lahar and quickly turned before Natsu could see his small smile.

"Did you mean that Natsu?" asked Kei nervously.

"Every word Kei." said Natsu as he smiled at her and finally took in her features.

The first thing that stood out was her red hair that reminded Natsu of Erza that went all the way down to the middle of Kei's back. In her hair was four white with red trimming triangular bows that held her hair in place so that her face is framed in front while the rest is in a ponytail. Kei's over all appearance was quite average when compared to the women that are usually at Fairy Tail, now this didn't mean that she wasn't pretty. Kei just didn't have an enormous rack like some of the women of Fairy Tail and it looked like she also didn't spend a lot of time trying to make herself look pretty. Her skin was of a slightly tan complexion but what really stood out about Kei apart from her red hair, was her red eyes that matched her hair exactly.

The outfit that Kei was wearing was one that wasn't very flashy like some other members of Fairy Tail. Kei's choice of foot wear was a simple pair of plain black shoes and socks that only went to her ankles. For her lower half Kei wore a black and red plaid skirt that went all the way to her knees, she also had on a plain white shirt covering her chest. Over top of that shirt she wore a black jacked that stop twenty centimeters way from her waist. What made the jacket unique was at the bottom of it and on the ends of the sleeves were white triangles trimmed in black hanging from it giving it somewhat of a frill.

Kei also had minimal accessories that only consisted of a simple gold earring with blue gem in them in each of her ears. She had a silver necklace that you couldn't tell what it held because she had it tucked under her shirt and she had two rings, one on each hand. On Kei's left hand was a silver ring that had a blue gem on it while the ring on her right hand was gold and had a clear gem on it. From what Natsu could see she didn't have any scars on her but he could tell by her eyes that she has already had a hard life like most members of Fairy Tail before they join.

"So would you mind helping me train with my magic some time Natsu?" asked Kei nervously since they were the center of attention right now and she didn't like that. Even though there were only about twelve members at the guild right now it still made Kei feel uncomfortable.

"I would love to Kei, and I think that a lot of the other members are going to follow suit and have me help them out with whatever I can. So we should be able to have a big group all working together." said Natsu with a big grin.

"Well that is a part of my problem Natsu, I am still not comfortable around that many people." she said with her head down.

"Hey that's alright Kei, that just means you and I are going to have to do some private lessons if you are fine with that." said Natsu still grinning at her.

"Thank you so much Natsu that would be the best." said Kei as she gave him a quick hug.

"No problem Kei and we'll have to slowly work on getting used to being around a lot of people. Because I actually used to be that way too Kei, since I was raised out in the wild and didn't really know how to interact with people that well." said Natsu with a big smile.

"Natsu don't lie to Kei about something like that." said Wakaba with a big grin.

"I'm not lying Wakaba you asshole, I really didn't know how to interact with anyone else which is why I always started fights because that was something I did know how to do. And it didn't make me feel like I didn't belong because that was something I knew I was good at." said Natsu angrily at a Wakaba.

"Sorry Natsu, I just meant that you were never shy." said Wakaba who felt a little bad now.

"I easily could have been, but I chose the unique option and that was fighting." said Natsu with a big grin.

"So your go to option." said Meredy with a big grin.

"Yes Meredy and so far it has been working for me." said Natsu a he sent her a glare that only made her laugh.

"You know that actually explains a lot Natsu, but why didn't you tell any of us about this until now?" asked Macao.

"Wasn't really any need to, but I did need to let Kei know that I can understand what she might be feeling and like I said before will help whenever I can." said Natsu a he smiled at Kei.

"Thank you Natsu." replied Kei shyly.

"No problem Kei, so how about we start training tomorrow as soon as you get to the guild. Or whenever you want to Kei, I really don't have any plans for the time being except for training that is." said Natsu giving Kei his famous grin.

"Tomorrow works fine for me Natsu." said Kei quietly.

"Alright I'll see you then Kei, and if I remember correctly weren't we supposed to have a talk when I got back Master Macao?" asked Natsu with a big grin.

"That we were Natsu so why don't we head to my office." replied Macao with a grin of his own.

"Not until I make sure that Natsu is actually okay, this idiot always is more concerned about everyone else." said Ultear as she got up and started to inspect Natsu while taking off his vest so that she could get a better look.

"Are you sure that you don't just want to feel the man up?" asked Wakaba as he started to chuckle to himself.

"I can do both can't I?" asked Ultear with a smirk on her face as Wakaba no longer found it funny and was a little jealous of Natsu right now.

"Seriously I am fine Ultear, I sealed up all of the wounds a long time ago and they are almost good as new thanks to me healing faster than normal mages." said Natsu as he grinned at her.

"Natsu you have about ten new scars and three of them look as if they were pretty deep." said Ultear as she looked up into his eyes with concern.

"That's bound to happen when I fight drakes Ultear, they are crafty creatures and this one was even more so than the last one. She was also really fast too, which is why I got as many scars I as I do right now." said Natsu as he placed a hand on Ultear's shoulder to comfort her. All of the other members never noticed that Natsu had so many scars and they could tell that a lot of them were from before he started to battle drakes.

"Just promise me that you will be even more careful the next time Natsu?" asked Ultear in a whisper so that only he would.

"I will Ultear, why do you think that I am going to be training extensively for a while." Natsu whispered back to her as he gave her a hug.

"Thank you Natsu." replied Ultear.

"Alright now that I got a clean bill of health from nurse Ultear let's go have that talk shall we." said Natsu with a big grin as he was hit in the back of the head by Ultear.

"Don't be an ass Natsu." said Ultear as she gave him a glare.

"Yes Nurse Ultear." said Natsu with a grin and took off for the second level and sprinted into the Master's office.

"Natsu get back here." shouted Ultear as she chased after the dragon slayer that was laughing as he ran away.

"They are so weird." said Meredy with a big smile as everyone else could only smile and agree with Meredy's comment.

"Well I better get up there before those two destroy my office, Wakaba are you coming?" asked Macao as he headed up the stairs.

"No thanks TM Macao I am pretty sure that you three will be enough to make whatever decision you have been worried about." replied Wakaba.

"Okay why do you keep saying TM before my name Wakaba, I thought that if I ignored it that you would stop but this is the second month?" asked Macao.

"Temporary Master of course." replied Wakaba with a big grin as Macao continued on mumbling about making people pay and getting what's coming to them.

"Isn't it great here?" asked Meredy as she sat down next to Kei.

"It sure is, but are all guilds like this?" Kei asked Meredy back.

"Nope, this is just how Fairy Tail is Kei and I have seen a few other guilds and they are nothing like Fairy Tail." replied Meredy.

"How so Meredy?" asked Kei.

"Well none of them have as much fun as everyone does here at Fairy Tail, it's all about business at most other guilds. But the biggest difference is what Natsu said earlier and that is Fairy Tail is one big family that will literally do anything for its members. Natsu literally challenged the Council just so Ultear and I could stay here." explained Meredy with a big smile.

"I think I am really going to like it here and Natsu is definitely something else." said Kei with a small smile.

"You know it's okay to call him weird, Natsu says that's a compliment for him which only makes him weirder." said Meredy with a big smile.

"He is weird isn't he." said Kei with a bigger smile.

"That he is but it's also what makes him Natsu." said Meredy still smiling.

 **Up in the Office:**

"You two are like kids trapped in adult bodies." said Macao angrily.

"Thanks Master Macao." said Natsu with a big smile.

"That wasn't a compliment Natsu and you are going to have to pay for what you broke in here." stated Macao as he looked at the shelves knocked over with their contents scattered all over the room.

"Take it out of the jewels that I already gave you." replied Natsu with a big grin.

"I really should have seen that answer coming." said Macao as he let out a sigh and sat down in his chair with Natsu doing the same but with one of the chairs used for visitors.

"Yes you should have Master Macao, now let's get down to business shall we?" asked Ultear as she sat down on Natsu's lap with her legs going over the side of the chair and one of her arms going around Natsu's shoulders. Natsu's only response to this was rolling his eyes slightly thinking how can she change so drastically because just moments ago she was trying to wring his neck.

"That would be a good idea Ultear, so what would you two do if you were in my situation and you two actually have a better understanding of what's in all of those chests?" asked Macao as he too just ignored Ultear being very chummy with Natsu all of a sudden.

"Well if we are going to be completely honest some of those things are very illegal to have. But considering that the Council is not going to be messing with us anytime soon, we will be fine with having them. But it would be smart to make sure that we keep them even more protected then they are right now." said Ultear with a grin as she watched Macao's mouth drop open.

"What have you two done?" asked Macao.

"We prevented them from falling into the hands of people who would misuse them Macao. As for what I would do in your situation I would definitely follow Ultear's advice and have some sort of vault that we could store the very dangerous stuff in. As for the rest of it which is still extremely dangerous but still could be very useful for some mages to look into, I would set up some sort of room that only certain trustworthy members are able to access." suggested Natsu shocking the other two present since it was extremely well thought out.

"Wow Natsu those were pretty good ideas you had there." stated Macao.

"Hey you wanted my opinion so I gave it to you." replied Natsu with a big grin.

"I am glad that my constant lecturing is finally showing results Natsu." said Ultear as she played with his hair.

"I aim to please, so anything else Master Macao?" asked Natsu as he grinned at Macao.

"Well I guess there isn't really anything else to discuss and I assume that you are both willing to help setting up this vault and room?" asked Macao.

"Yes we are but where are we going to put both of them?" asked Ultear with a big smile.

"I honestly have no idea." replied Macao as he then looked at Natsu.

"I am really starting to be concerned about what would happen to Fairy Tail if I had disappeared with them. For the room I think that we should use that back room in the library that only Levy and I used, as for this vault I would suggest we make a hidden spot for it in the basement. Actually we could also make the back room hidden quite easily by just having a bookcase in front of it, and like I said before only me and Levy used it so not very many people even know about it and won't notice it disappearing." said Natsu with a thoughtful expression.

"You used the back room in the library Natsu, I really find that hard to believe." said Ultear with a grin.

"I did all of the time and as I assume you two already are guessing it wasn't used for research, it was just a really good place to be alone and take a nap if you felt like it." replied Natsu with a big grin.

"That sounds a lot more like that Natsu I know." said Macao with a big grin.

"So when do you want us to get to work on this, and what protective measures are we going to put on them?" asked Natsu.

"I think that it would probably be best if we moved all of the stuff out of the storage room and basement tonight because you know how curious everyone is. As for what safety measures we should put on them that will be left up to you two since you know what we are guarding and I honestly would rather not knowing. Since I already have enough headaches already and don't need more added by you two." answered Macao.

"You are already sounding like Gramps and you have only been at this for three months Master Macao." stated Natsu with a big grin.

"Shut up you brat and try and get all of it done by tonight if you could." said Macao as he let out a sigh.

"Master Macao did you just call me a brat, you know that Gramps was the only person that ever called us that?" asked Natsu with a bigger grin than before.

"Just leave Natsu I have work to do." said Macao as he shooed the two away with his hand.

"Don't worry Master Macao those chests will be stored and sealed way, Natsu and I will stay up all night together if we have to." said Ultear with a grin.

"Oh and that would be just torture for you two." stated Macao sarcastically.

"No it wouldn't Macao I don't mind spending time with Ultear." said Natsu who didn't pick up on the sarcasm since his mind was elsewhere.

"Please just leave Natsu and try not to draw attention to what you two will be doing tonight." said Macao as the two left his office.

"So we won't start moving the chests until the guild closes for the night." stated Ultear to Natsu.

"Thinking the same thing Ultear and we can also have Meredy help us with this." replied Natsu.

"So what are we going to do for security measures?" asked Ultear.

"That is more your expertise Ultear, I am the guy that you point at something that needs to be destroyed." stated Natsu as he leaned against the railing and looked down at the few members that were still in the guild.

"Natsu that isn't true, you have been doing a lot more than just fighting for these past three months. You've been the person that Fairy Tail has been relying to get them through these hard times ahead of us and have also been the person that they look to when they want to know what to do." said Ultear as she hugged him from behind and rested her chin on his shoulder.

"Thanks Ultear but I really don't think that they should place that much faith in me, I mean I did somethings recently that if they didn't go our way would have been the death of Fairy Tail." said Natsu as he looked at Meredy and Kei talking in the corner together looking like they were having a good time, which brought a slight smile to his face.

"Why shouldn't they Natsu, you have always been there for them and you are going to continue to do that as long as you are alive. As for the plays that you and I have pulled recently, yes there was a risk but it was worth it since what we got from it was so much more than anyone could have imagined." said Ultear with a smile as she enjoyed their position.

"That seems like a lot of responsibility Ultear, what if I can't handle it and then mess up? And I am talking about a big mistake like what would have happened if the Council didn't agree to our proposal." asked Natsu.

"Natsu you have had this responsibility for more than just these past three months, which is why when I was part of Grimoire Heart we looked into many different ways to take care of you. Yes they probably didn't ask you about things that were trivial to the guild, but everyone looked to you when everything looked like it might be a lost cause and you somehow always were able to motivate everyone else to keep fighting. They just now have only started to look to you when their lives aren't on the line, which if you think about it is a piece of cake compared to what you have already been doing. As for if you do make a mistake in the future Natsu, which is guaranteed to happen sooner or later but when it does Fairy Tail will be right there to help like you have always been there for them." answered Ultear with a big grin.

"Thanks Ultear that really means a lot to me coming from you." said Natsu as he looked at her from the corner of his left eye while grinning.

"I will always be here for you Natsu, whether it's for a simple conversation or anything else." said Ultear with a big smile.

"And I will do the same for you Ultear." replied Natsu still grinning.

"Glad to hear Natsu, now let's go down there and see what Meredy and Kei are up to." said Ultear as she let go of him and headed downstairs and then over to the table with Natsu right behind her.

"So what have you two been up to?" asked Natsu with a big grin as he sat down at the next to Kei.

"Just getting to know each other better Natsu and telling a few stories every once and awhile." replied Meredy with a big smile.

"Well that's good to see that you are making some friends that aren't Natsu or me." teased Ultear.

"Hey it's not my fault that you two took me on a three month adventure." said Meredy while giving Ultear a glare.

"So you don't want to come with us on our next one?" asked Natsu with a sad look.

"No I didn't say that Natsu, I was just pointing out how am I supposed to make friends with anyone here if we aren't here." answered Meredy.

"HAHAHA it's fine Meredy I was just messing with you, and we are going to be in the area for a while and only do some jobs that won't have us gone for months." said Natsu after laughing at how quick Meredy made sure he knew that she liked going on those jobs with him and Ultear.

"Really, well that's going to be awesome Natsu." cheered Meredy.

"Glad to hear you being so excited Meredy, and I hope you can keep that excited when we start training tomorrow and help out any members that want our help." said Natsu with a grin.

"But they just want your help Natsu." pointed out Meredy.

"That might be true, but there is only one of me so I am going to be relying on you and Ultear to help other members when I can't." stated Natsu still grinning at her.

"Fine Natsu, and I guess it will be fun to be the boss for once." said Meredy as a slightly evil smile came to her face.

"So what type of magic do you use Kei?" asked Ultear with a big smile.

"I actually don't really know Ultear." replied Kei quietly.

"How do you not know your own magic type?" asked Natsu as he scratched his chin.

"That's because no one else can actually tell me what it is, and when I tried to find out more about it by doing my own research I came back with nothing." replied Kei as she looked down at her feet ashamed that she didn't know her own magic.

"Well that just means that you have a very rare magic Kei and probably really strong. Who knows it might even be a lost magic type like we all have." said Natsu with a big smile as he motioned to their table.

"You really think so Natsu?" asked Kei with a little bit of excitement.

"He's probably right about that Kei, would you mind showing us your magic or telling us about it?" asked Ultear with a big smile.

"Sure Ultear, and the best way would be probably to just show you. **WAR CREATE: SWORD!"** said Kei in a voice louder than she usually uses and a completely red sword formed in her right hand.

"Wow that is so cool." said Natsu excitedly.

"Really Natsu, I can make any weapon I want but I am the best at making a sword right now. And for some reason they are always red and extremely sharp when I master them. I can also do some special moves with them that depends on what weapon I have out." said Kei with a smile.

"That is so cool Kei, what type of attacks can you do with it?" asked Natsu as he looked at the blade and could see that it was indeed extremely sharp.

"Well I can do shadow based attacks and another type that I don't ever use for a few reasons." said Kei with a frown.

"Hey that's alright Kei, having shadow attacks and being able to make whatever weapon you want is already cool enough." said Natsu with a big grin.

"Thanks Natsu." said Kei as she dispersed the sword and had a big smile.

"Kei, it's really important that you answer my next question truthfully because if you do I might know what magic you have." said Ultear with a serious face.

"Okay Ultear." replied Kei still smiling.

"Can you hear a voice in your head every once and awhile?" asked Ultear which caused Kei to lose her smile completely.

"Yes, and now you are going to think I am crazy like everyone else that I told." said Kei with a frown and looked like she might start crying.

"Kei it's okay, I don't think you're crazy and I never will. But then again this is coming from me, who has been called that by numerous people before which could mean that I actually am. I mean I do go out and fight drakes for a living now which most people would consider crazy." said Natsu as he hugged her and gave her a smile.

"Don't forget that you actually challenged Acnologia by yourself and survived." said Meredy with a big smile.

"Oh yea and there is that as well Kei, which absolutely everyone agrees is crazy. So if any of us are crazy I think that I am the front runner on that." said Natsu with a big grin causing Kei to smile at him and his words.

"Meredy is right, you really are weird Natsu." said Kei with a big smile.

"Thanks Kei and I keep telling Meredy that I see that as a compliment." said Natsu with a big grin as Meredy and Kei laughed at Natsu and how weird he really is.

"Kei I can tell you that you are most definitely not crazy and you only hear that voice because of your magic. Which is indeed a lost magic that hasn't been seen in a century or longer." said Ultear with a smile.

"Really, so what is it called Ultear?" asked Kei with excited eyes since she just learned that she wasn't crazy and if she was then they would have still accepted her. This is something that she didn't know if she was ever going to find in her life again.

"It's called War God Magic and is actually really close to take over magic with one key difference, and that is the soul that merged with you still has its own conscious and can actually talk with you. And if you let it, it can have control over your body which I highly suggest that you don't do until you have a better understanding of your magic." explained Ultear with a caring smile.

"So what are the things that I can do with this magic?" asked Kei who was really glad that she finally knew what type of magic she had.

"Sorry Kei but that is all I really know about your magic, but I think that we might have a book that could help you out a lot. Also you have someone that you could ask who knows everything there is to know about your magic, but before they will even speak with you you'll have to earn their respect." said Ultear with a small smile.

"And how do I do that?" asked Kei.

"With fighting of course." replied Natsu with a grin.

"And how did you know that Natsu?" asked Ultear in disbelief that he knew the answer.

"It's pretty obvious Ultear you said that the soul or whatever it is was a god of war. Meaning that the only thing that it cared about was fighting which is exactly what war is. That also means I am going to be the perfect teacher for you Kei and I bet in no time that soul will be more than willing to talk with you and let you know everything there is to know about your magic." answered Natsu with a confident grin.

"And how are you going to teach Kei about handling weapons Natsu, you don't even use them?" asked Ultear.

"Just because I don't use them doesn't mean I know nothing about them Ultear. Have you ever gone up against an enemy who is armed with nothing but your bare hands, because I have Ultear and let me tell you that it is not easy. It's one of the reasons that I was always challenging Erza to fights because she had all of those different armors and weapons that gave me tons of experience. I would wager that I would actually be pretty good with a sword if you gave me a few hours with it, it was definitely Erza's favorite weapon and she was a master with it and I could hold my own against her for a while. So I should be able to pick it up fairly quick, of course I won't be a master anytime soon but I won't be a complete novice." explained Natsu with a smirk.

"No I haven't Natsu, and I guess you would have to be pretty knowledgeable to fight bare handed against them. Sorry for doubting you Natsu, I am sure that you will be a great teacher for Kei." said Ultear with a smile.

"Thanks Ultear and it will actually be great to learn something new while I am at it. So how about we start training first thing in the morning Kei?" asked Natsu with a big grin.

"I would love to Natsu." said Kei with a big smile.

"Well if that is the case then I suggest that you get as much sleep as you can because tomorrow is going to be a tough day for you. And just so you know we won't be doing any sparring for a little while Kei, we need to get you in peak physical fitness. At least that is what Erza told me when we were younger, so that is what I am going to do with you." said Natsu with a big grin.

"Who is this Erza that you keep talking about Natsu, because I didn't see her while you three were gone?" asked Kei.

"She is a really dear friend of mine that I have known since I came to Fairy Tail, you might actually know her by her nickname, Titania. And the reason that you haven't seen her is because three months ago she along with a whole bunch of my friends disappeared when Acnologia attacked." explained Natsu with a sad smile.

"Oh I am so sorry Natsu, but I thought that they all died in an accident?" asked Kei who wanted to know more.

"Nope, that is just what the Council thinks happened to them and it wasn't an accident it was Acnologia. They are only saying that because the public would panic if they knew that Acnologia easily took out some of the strongest mages in the country. And the reason that I know that they aren't dead was because I was actually there." answered Natsu still having that sad smile.

"So that was when you fought Acnologia, I just thought that was a joke you were all playing on the new members." stated Kei in shock.

"Nope it's actually how I got these beautiful scars on my face, but I am completely fine with the new members thinking that it's just a joke. Because then they won't be concerned about Acnologia possibly showing up again which is something that I am actually thankful for. You guys need to have fun while you still can and not be concerned about drakes and dragons, since they are my problem." said Natsu with a little chuckle at the end.

"You are making it sound like you are an old man Natsu you are only three years older than her. You just turned twenty so stop sounding as if you are older than fifty." said Ultear in an angry tone.

"HEHEHEHE, sorry about that Ultear I just don't want any of them to be concerned with something that they can't do anything about yet. And I know I am not old, I just tried to say something that Gramps would have said in a situation like this and it ended up making me sound like an old man." said Natsu with a grin.

"That's okay I guess but I think that your words are usually good enough Natsu, so don't try and sound like someone you're not." replied Ultear with a small smile.

"Will do Ultear, well I am going to head to the library for some reading. So you can find me there when you want to leave." said Natsu as he got up and left for the library.

"Well I am going to head out too since it sounds like tomorrow, Natsu is going to be tough on me." said Kei as she got up and left the guild.

"I can't believe that Kei has a lost magic like us." said Meredy with a big smile.

"It is actually really surprising, especially since it is a rare one among lost magic. Oh and Meredy we have some work to do tonight once everyone else leaves the guild." said Ultear with a smile.

"Don't tell me it's going to deal with carrying those chests." said Meredy only getting Ultear to laugh at her making the poor girl drop her head in defeat at the upcoming work she was going to do.

 **One week later:**

The next week flew by for Natsu Dragneel. He woke up early in the morning so that he could get at least three hours of physical training in with Kei since she was still uncomfortable around large groups. While she was doing as Natsu told her, he would start practicing with one of Erza's swords that he happened to find outside of her window by some weird coincidence.

After that he would go to the guild and see if anyone there wanted to do any training with him. The first day there were only about three people, but each day after that there were more members, wanting his help and advice. By the end of the week there was twenty members training with him all day long, when they showed up for the very first time Natsu would talk with them and see what they wanted to get out of this training.

He did this so that he could try and help them achieve that goal as quickly as possible, of course there were a few things that Natsu saw as a necessity for all mages to have and that was being in shape. Not only did it make it so that when they were on jobs that they wouldn't get winded if it required running, but it also made them harder to fight which was another thing that Natsu started to each everyone. Another thing that some mages didn't know was that when your body was in shape you would naturally have more magic than if you weren't in shape, which was actually all Natsu needed for a reason to make sure that every other member was in shape.

The training for fighting was unfortunately very hard for Natsu to do since everyone had such different styles of fighting with magic. So Natsu decided that the best way for them to learn was for them to fight him, which would let him see all of their flaws which he could then tell them about. After which Natsu would then help them with fixing them as best as they could, and they would then spar the next day to see the improvements and keep repeating this cycle.

After Natsu found out how hard it was going to be to train this many people with their specific magic. He realized that a lot of them were done for if he ever got close to them so he instituted that hand to hand combat was required. Since in Natsu's opinion that really couldn't hurt any of them, but he also told them that if they wanted to learn how to use a weapon he was okay with that and he would once again help them with that in any way that he could.

At the beginning of the training Natsu was able to do everything but once a few more members joined he had to get the help of Meredy and Ultear. Meredy was in charge of the physical training and quickly became a strict instructor that didn't accept any excuses since she could do everything that they were supposed to do. Which after seeing a thirteen year old girl go through the drills was more than enough encouragement for most members to stop complaining and do as the thirteen year old told them.

Ultear was put in charge of overseeing the hand to hand combat part of their training. But unlike Natsu who would actually have them spar each other and show them moves. Ultear showed them moves and had them practice them over and over again until they got them down, but rather than practicing on dummies or other members. Ultear had them doing it against her orbs and if they failed the move that usually meant that they would be hit by one or more of her orbs. Natsu thought that it might have been a little extreme, but no one else complained about it and if he was honest with himself they could all use some toughening up.

And Natsu of course handled the sparing with them where they would attack him with whatever they could. Be it either with their magic or with physical attacks it didn't matter to Natsu, needless to say Natsu would win all of the fights and then give them pointers and have them watch the next fight that he had. And Natsu would then cycle through until everyone got their turn and if they were lucky enough and had more time Natsu would then have them spar against each other and give his opinions after the battle.

With these three stations up they had it were the members would stay at one for three hours and then have a thirty minute break, after which they would go to the next station and repeat until they had visited all three stations. Making the whole thing take ten hours each day which was quite the time commitment, but it seemed like a lot of the members were willing to do it when they didn't have a job to do that day.

And it was now seven at night and the training for the day was done and everyone was heading for the guild for some food and to relax after a hard day of training. Natsu, Ultear and Meredy were at the back of the group discussing how to help the other members while also training themselves in the process.

"Well I don't know about you two, but constantly fighting them and telling them how to fix their mistakes is making each time I face them harder and harder. Soon all I will only be able to tell them that they just need to increase their magic and possibly come up with new moves." said Natsu with a sigh.

"Well you could start having them working on their team work against you, while you start to attack them with stronger moves Natsu. Because as you know they will most likely run into someone who is stronger than them and their only option is to fight." suggested Ultear.

"That is a very good point Ultear, and I will probably start doing that soon with a few of them." replied Natsu with a grin.

"So what are you going to do to help them out while still challenging yourself Ultear?" asked Meredy.

"I was actually thinking about using Ice make to give them practice dummies that are life like, while still having my orbs used to block and hit them back. I was also toying with the idea of using arc of time and having the ice dummies move that way, so I would be using both of my main magic types." said Ultear with a grin thinking about how much fun it was going to be watching some of the members of Fairy Tail getting knocked down my her ice dummies.

"I can see that you aren't going to have any problem with challenging yourself Ultear, so what about you Meredy?" asked Natsu with a grin.

"I was thinking about using my Maguilty Sodom as a form of motivation for everyone, which will be hard for me to keep under control. I was also thinking about using sensory link on them so that whoever was the most tired would be sending that sense to all of the others making it harder for them and also harder for me. Of course I won't be able to do this to all of them right away but I will eventually be able to." replied Meredy with a sinister grin.

"You do know that they are all our friends Meredy and we don't want to hurt them?" asked Natsu a little concerned for the members that were going to be at tomorrow's training.

"Of course I do Natsu, this is all so that they will get stronger and in the process so will I." answered Meredy with a big smile as they entered the guild through the back door.

"Man you are becoming way too much like Ultear." said Natsu with a grin as Ultear hit him in the back of the head.

"Thanks Natsu." said Meredy as they all sat down at the bar which quickly became there spot and everyone else left it open for them in the morning and at night when training wasn't going on.

"Looks like you really worked them hard today Natsu." said Macao with a big grin.

"That we did Master Macao, and I am really surprised with how fast they are all improving." replied Natsu with a proud smile.

"I'm not you three are pretty much slave drivers." said Wakaba with a big grin just like Macao.

"Hey I am nowhere near as bad as those two." said Natsu as he pointed to Meredy and Ultear.

"Yea Natsu you are actually much worse." replied Macao still grinning.

"What the hell are you talking about Master Macao?" asked Natsu in disbelief as Meredy and Ultear started to laugh at him.

"Natsu I don't think you understand that your easy is extremely hard and painful for everyone else." explained Wakaba.

"You have to be kidding me, I am not even using any of my moves on them." said Natsu in disbelief.

"We aren't Natsu, and you seem to becoming a little stronger every day. Which is hard to keep up with since you are already at S-Class level Natsu." stated Macao with a proud grin.

"Well that is because I am constantly training with them and afterwards all I do before I go to sleep is meditate and some reading. Which I think I am going to be doing after I finish this meal, oh and thanks Kinana for always having this ready for me." said Natsu with a big smile as he started to eat the flaming food as if he was starving and hadn't had food for a week.

"Where is the Master?" asked a girl that came up to the bar.

"That would be me darling, so what can I do for a pretty young lady like you?" asked Macao with a grin and only got a glare form the girl.

"First don't call me darling ever again and while you are at it don't ever look at me like that again or you'll regret it." stated the girl while still glaring at Macao.

"HAHAHAHA, oh man do I already like you." said Wakaba as he laughed along with Ultear at Macao's expense.

"Sorry Miss, so how can I help you?" asked Macao who was a little afraid of the teenager.

"I need to speak with one of your mages, and it is extremely important." said the girl.

"And who would that mage be?" asked Macao.

"I need to speak with the Salamander and I will not take no for an answer." said the girl loudly causing the guild to quiet down.

 **End of Chapter**

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Thanks for reading and I hope that you enjoyed it. Sorry if there are a lot of mistakes in this on since I finished it at 2:30 in the morning and really wanted to let you guys read it. Oh and I once again made a really long chapter and the ones after this are probably going to be about 4000 words shorter, but I could be wrong about that to since I write until I get all that I want said in the chater. Since I don't really have anything else to say except for a special shout out to Bronzeapollo708, and you know why. So as always feel free to leave me a review.**

 **Until the next Chapter**

 **Digem Out!**


	6. A New Student and Member

Ch 6: A New Student and Member

"So that means you're looking for me." said Natsu as he spun around on the bar stool to look at the girl wanting to have a few words with him.

The first thing that Natsu noticed was that the girl appeared to be about sixteen years old and had a really dark purple hair color that could almost be mistaken for black. In the girls hair was a white ribbon tide so that there was a bow on the top of her head. The next thing that he noticed was that she apparently liked the color white because that was the main color of her attire.

This consisted of white boots that stopped just shy of the knees and trimmed in yellow at the top of them. The girl was wearing dark grey leggings with a white mini skirt over top of them and above both of those she was wearing a fancy white blazer that was trimmed in yellow and had red strip going down the shoulders. She also had white glove that the sleeves of her blazer were tucked into that had trimming just like her boots, but what made most of the guild nervous of the girl was the weird sword that she had in her left hand. The only reason they thought it looked weird was because it was wrapped so that she couldn't even draw the blade.

"What happened to you Salamander, the picture that I saw of you didn't have this many scars?" asked the girl who was clearly startled by how many new scars Natsu had on him, especially the three going over his left eye.

"Oh you know fighting a dragon and drakes, just the usual things." replied Natsu nonchalantly with a big grin.

"You've fought a dragon and multiple drakes now?" asked the girl in complete shock.

"Yep I actually just dealt with a drake just a week ago, now if we are going to continue this conversation I would really like to know who I am talking to." said Natsu with a big grin.

"Sorry Salamander, my name is Kagura Mikazuchi." said the girl as she gave him a bow.

"No need for that Kagura and you can just call me Natsu if you want." replied Natsu still grinning.

"Okay Natsu, but did you actually fight a dragon because I thought that they were all gone?" asked Kagura.

"I certainly did Kagura, it's actually how I got these lovely scars. As for them all being gone that is just wrong since I and two of my friends where taught by them when we were kids, and the one that I fought and lost to would also probably disagree with you about them being gone." answered Natsu with a big grin as he noticed that most of the guild was listening in on their conversation.

"Sorry Natsu I didn't mean to offend you, I just was always told that they were no longer around." said Kagura as she gave Natsu another bow.

"You don't have to apologize, Kagura since most people think the same thing and I can't really blame them. Actually when I first came here most of the members laughed at me when I told them I was trained by a dragon." said Natsu as he glared at Macao.

"I already apologized for that Natsu." said Macao as he glared back a Natsu causing the dragon slayer to start to laugh.

"I know Macao, I just like to give you a hard time about it." chuckled Natsu as he had a big smile.

"So what did you want to talk to Natsu about Kagura, because as you can see most of the guild can lose focus pretty easy." said Ultear as she hit Natsu on the back of the head.

"Oh I wanted to ask you Natsu if you really were the person that destroyed the Tower of Heaven?" asked Kagura as she studied his facial expressions, which quickly turned to anger just at the mention of the tower.

"I guess you could say that, even though it kind of blew itself up after I took out the man in charge of it." said Natsu between clenched teeth as he remembered the terrible things that he heard took place there and also seeing Erza at her weakest there which is something he never wants to see again.

"Why are you so angry just thinking about it?" asked Kagura as everyone else wanted to know the answer as well since not much was known about what happened there.

"Let's just say that I don't look back on that event with fond memories for me, but the real question is why you want to know about that place?" asked Natsu as he went back to his normal self.

"Because I believe that my brother was there and want to know if you ran into him while you were there." answered Kagura still watching Natsu closely.

"Macao we're going to use your office for the rest of this conversation." said Natsu as he got up and headed upstairs with Kagura following him with a slightly nervous face.

"Sure thing Natsu and I'll make sure that no one listens in." replied Macao with an evil grin as he glared at the rest of the guild.

"Thanks Macao, and if anyone does just tell me so I can give them a reminder of why they shouldn't eavesdrop on someone else's conversation." said Natsu as he too gave the guild an evil grin.

"No way in hell, am I going to try and listen now." said Jet as he sat back down at a table with Droy.

"Me either, I have a feeling if anyone does they might have a few burn marks." said Droy with a big smile.

"Why is Natsu so angry about that tower?" asked Kei with a concerned look.

"While Natsu was there he saw someone die right before him and couldn't save him, he also had to watch Erza try and sacrifice herself to save the rest of them along with a few other things that Natsu despises." said Ultear with a big frown.

"How do you know all of this Ultear?" asked Macao.

"Well I was kind of the one that caused the man running that tower to go crazy." replied Ultear still frowning.

"You said that Erza tried to sacrifice herself, so what happened to stop her?" asked Kei.

"Natsu happened; I honestly still don't know how he did it when absolutely any other mage would have just died along with Erza. But somehow he got to her before she merged with the tower and then shot all of the magic into the skies saving everyone else that was within a two mile radius of the tower. And then after doing all of that he somehow swam all the way to the main land with Erza being completely knocked out, and all of this was after a fight he shouldn't have lived through." said Ultear still looking upset with herself.

"Wow, I never knew Natsu did all of that." said Kinana with a big smile.

"Why didn't he ever brag about something like that?" asked Jet.

"Because that is not who Natsu is Jet, when has he ever bragged about all of the incredible things that he's done?" asked Laki as she glared at Jet.

"When he talked with the Council about fighting Acnologia." stated Droy.

"That was only to get them to back off of us Droy; Laki is talking about Natsu bragging to us which he never does. And the only time he ever does brag is when he's dealing with enemies that are looking down on him." said Macao with a proud grin.

"Even then it doesn't happen, that often." said Ultear with a faint smile.

"Still he didn't even mention any of it, not even any of the fights that he had at the tower. And we all know how much Natsu loves telling us about his fights." stated Jet.

"That is because he really doesn't want to remember all of the things that he saw at that tower." said Ultear with a frown once again.

"Was it really that bad for him, because he seemed like his usual self when he returned except for he slept more." said Droy.

"You guys know better than me how kind Natsu is and while he was at the tower he learned how cruel the world can actually be. And I also think that is when he really started to despise the Council and their ability to do nothing about something so terrible and also being so easily manipulated which almost caused Erza and him to die." explained Ultear.

"You also said that Natsu watched someone die in front him while he couldn't do anything and we all know how much that would actually hurt him." said Macao with a frown.

"Yea we do, just remember how he reacted when we thought that Lisanna died." pointed out Wakaba with a frown as everyone else started to frown too.

"Hey, let's not think about the bad things that happened in the past when there are so many good ones to remember. Well that is what Natsu would say if he was out here right now, or something along those lines." said Meredy so everyone could hear her and started to smile because that is something that Natsu would actually say and do right now.

"That's better, and I am starting to think that everyone in Fairy Tail is weird." said Meredy with a big grin.

"Thanks Meredy." said a few members together knowing that is what Natsu always says to her when she calls him that.

"Yep, this guild is full of weirdos." said Meredy as she started to giggle as everyone else started to join in with her.

 **Up in the office:**

"Feel free to take a seat if you want to Kagura." said Natsu as he sat down behind the desk in Macao's chair.

"Thanks Natsu." replied Kagura as she took sat down in one of the chairs.

"So what was your brother's name?" asked Natsu with a small frown.

"His name was Simon." said Kagura with a big smile.

"Shit, of course it was him if it was anyone else that I knew from that tower then I could have given you good news." said Natsu as he shook his head with a big frown on his face as Kagura lost her smile.

"I take it he died then, I always knew that was a possibility I just hoped that it wouldn't happen though." said Kagura with an expressionless face.

"Yes he did Kagura, and I am truly sorry that he did. If I had only been stronger then he wouldn't have died." replied Natsu as he started to tear up while getting angry.

"How did he die?" asked Kagura with the same expressionless face.

"He died protecting the women that he loved, it was one of the bravest things that I have ever seen." answered Natsu as looked at Kagura who still wasn't showing any emotions.

"Who killed him?" asked Kagura with a glare that meant pain for whoever stood in her way.

"What are you going to do if I tell you that Kagura?" asked Natsu with a very serious expression on his face.

"I am going to kill him of course Natsu, because that is what he deserves." shouted Kagura who was finally letting her emotions out.

"But what if I told you that murder is already dead?" asked Natsu.

"Then I would ask you who killed my brother's murder so that I could properly thank them." replied Kagura still looking like she was ready to go on a rampage.

"Okay but what if the man that killed your brother was possessed while doing all of those terrible things?" asked Natsu causing Kagura to wonder why he was asking all of these weird questions.

"I don't really know, that is a hard question but I still believe that he should be punished for what he's done even if he isn't completely to blame." said Kagura after thinking about it for a little while.

"I couldn't agree with you more on that Kagura and I can tell you that the man who killed your brother is in jail right now and is going to stay there until the Council decides what they want to do with him. I am glad that you are not solely set on seeking revenge." said Natsu with a small smile.

"That is good to know and I'm not set on revenge because I still had hope that I might find Simon still alive." said Kagura as she then broke down and started to cry. Natsu being someone who can't stand watching any girl cry instantly went to her and gave her a hug.

"It's okay Kagura, let it all out and don't feel ashamed this is the natural response when you lose someone that is important to you." said Natsu as he let her cry on his shoulder while he rubbed her back, they stayed like this for another ten minutes until Kagura recomposed herself.

"Thank you Natsu, but I want to know why you're not giving me his name yet. You obviously know a lot more than what you've told me so far." asked Kagura as she wiped away her last tears and looked at Natsu who was now sitting in the chair right next to her.

"That's correct that I know a lot more about this whole terrible incident and it becomes really complicated. That is one of the reasons that I haven't given you a name yet, but I really want to know what your intentions are if I do tell you everything that happened at the tower and afterwards." answered Natsu as he started to trace the three scars over his eye.

"What happened afterwards and why do you care what I do with this information?" asked Kagura in a slightly angry tone.

"The reason that I care about what you do with this information Kagura is because I would really hate to see you do something that you will regret later on. And as I said before a lot happened after the tower, like running into the man that killed your brother after I thought that I killed him. To figuring out who caused him to become possessed and a whole lot more Kagura." replied Natsu while frowning and still tracing his scar.

"Why would you care about me doing something like that when you just met me Natsu, and you thought that you killed Simon's murder?" asked Kagura who didn't know how to feel about all of this.

"Of course I care about you Kagura because your brother was a good man who died doing what he believed was right, and I can see that you are a good person just like him. And I couldn't live with myself if I let you do something that Simon wouldn't approve of Kagura when I am capable of helping you not make that mistake. And yes I did think that I killed Simon's murder because at the time I truly believed that is what the man deserved and wasn't going to let him do anything like that again to anyone else." responded Natsu still doing what he was doing before.

"You think that I am a good person, but how can you say that even if you don't know me Natsu? And how could you not know if you killed him or not?" asked Kagura with a glare.

"It's all in the eyes Kagura and yours are telling me that your kind and caring even after living a life that would usually make a person none of those. But that is not all Kagura, you're extremely loyal to your friends even though you don't have many and you're constantly trying to do what's right." said Natsu as he smiled at her as she blushed at his complements which were all true.

"As for how I thought I killed him but wasn't sure, that happened because I beat the bastard to within an inch of his life. And I left him to die as I went to help my friend when the tower became unstable and was going to explode. So I then went after my friend who tried to sacrifice herself to save me and everyone else there and then I somehow saved her while the whole thing exploded and shot tons of magic into the sky. Honestly I don't really know how I am alive right now, so I of course thought that he died like I should have." explained Natsu with a frown.

"Okay Natsu, but what about this person who caused my brother's murder to become possessed?" asked Kagura who had a smaller glare now.

"Well she had a really tough childhood and was willing to do anything to try and change the world the way she wanted it to be and didn't care about anyone else for a really long time. Now I want to know what would you do if you found out who this woman was?" asked Natsu as he stared at Kagura.

"I would kill her because all of it was her fault." replied Kagura with no hesitation.

"Yes you are right that she caused all of this to happen Kagura, but what about the people that caused her to do all of that stuff. Are you going to keep killing everyone that is slightly responsible for Simon's death, because if so you are going to have to kill a lot of people Kagura because the list will just keep going on and on. I mean you would have to kill me too Kagura because I wasn't strong enough to save your brother and I really regret that." said Natsu as he hung his head.

"This wasn't your fault Natsu, and I know that there is always someone to blame which is why I would be satisfied with just killing the woman responsible for making that man murder Simon." replied Kagura.

"Even if I told you that she has completely turned her life around and is doing everything that she can to make up for her past mistakes?" asked Natsu.

"Yes because there is nothing that she could do to bring back Simon which is the only way to make up for what she did to me." said Kagura as she glared at Natsu.

"And what good would that do for the world Kagura if you killed her, like you said it won't bring back Simon and all it will be doing is riding the world of a person who is now doing good. Also you would regret this decision later on just like I did when I thought I killed the person that murdered your brother and if I had there is actually a good chance that none of us would be here right now." said Natsu with a frown as he once again started to mess around with his scar.

"How is that even possible?" asked Kagura in disbelief.

"I take it that you know that I was involved with taking down Oracion Seis, well I was only able to do that because the man that I thought I killed showed up and saved my ass just like Simon saved my friend at the tower. He then gave me the power that I needed to defeat the Master of Oracion Seis, and if I hadn't then all of Fiore would have been plunged into complete chaos. So right there is a perfect example of why I don't kill anyone because as my Master always said, yesterday's enemies could be tomorrow's friends." answered Natsu with a small grin.

"But he could have just as easily been your enemy which is actually the more likely outcome." stated Kagura.

"Yes and if he had I would have just beaten him up like I did before Kagura. So do you see now why it is pointless to kill someone Kagura, because what I have learned during my life is that all forms of life are precious and shouldn't be thrown away when there is a chance that they could do some good in the world." said Natsu with a faint smile.

"How can you be so forgiving and trusting when they were your enemies earlier?" asked Kagura with a frown.

"It's not easy and takes a lot of time Kagura but it is always worth it in the long run. As for trusting them that too is something that takes a long time to happen, even longer than forgiving them, but that just like forgiving them it depends on who you are and who they are. Luckily for me I could tell that these two people were good at heart and were just lead down the wrong path." answered Natsu with a faint smile.

"But how am I supposed to do that Natsu?" asked Kagura as she looked at him with pleading eyes.

"That's something that you are going to have to learn on your own Kagura, but if you want I can be there and give you advise and guidance whenever I can and make sure that you don't go down the wrong path." said Natsu still having that faint smile on his face.

"How would that work?" asked Kagura as she liked the idea of that suggestion because she didn't know if she could do that on her own.

"Simple Kagura, you join Fairy Tail and then you can be with me as long as you want and I will help you whenever I can." answered Natsu with a grin.

"Even with things like my magic and fighting?" asked Kagura hesitantly.

"AHAHAH of course Kagura, those are two of my favorite things to do. But I also want you to know that if it is anything else; don't be afraid to ask, because if you do join Fairy Tail we treat each other like family. And that means I along with the rest of the guild are always willing to help you out no matter what the problem is." said Natsu with his usual grin.

"So if I joined Fairy Tail would you be like my Master?" asked Kagura.

"HAHAHAHAHA, sorry for laughing Kagura but I am not the Master of Fairy Tail that's Macao the guy down stairs with the purple hair." said Natsu as he laughed at the idea of him running Fairy Tail.

"I know that Natsu, I was meaning like a Master who teaches their students everything they know. Like what they do with martial arts or a sword Master who runs their own dojo's." said Kagura who was a little embarrassed now.

"I guess if you wanted to think of it that way Kagura, but it sounds like a teacher to me." replied Natsu with a big grin.

"That's a different way of saying it I guess, so would you be okay with that?" asked Kagura still a little unsure about all of this.

"I see no problems with that Kagura since I am already training other members, I guess that would make you my student wouldn't it." said Natsu with a big grin.

"Oh okay." replied Kagura with a frown.

"Okay now I am confused Kagura, I just said that I am okay with having you as a student." stated Natsu with a confused expression.

"It's nothing Natsu." said Kagura now wishing she didn't say anything.

"Come on Kagura I already told you that you can tell me anything, I just want to help and I can tell that you aren't happy right now." replied Natsu with a frown.

"Well I was meaning a different kind of student that stays with their Master almost twenty four seven so that they can learn as much as possible. But I'll be fine with training with everyone else since you are probably pretty busy." said Kagura still with a frown.

"Oh if that's what you wanted Kagura then why didn't you say so. I would be glad to do that for you Kagura, but like you said it wouldn't be every hour of every day. I won't let you come with me when I have to go fight a drake and there are some other times that I will need to be alone but otherwise I would be fine with you being my full time student." said Natsu with a huge grin.

"Really, you're completely fine with this and I wouldn't be a bother?" asked Kagura with a big smile and wide eyes.

"Of course you wouldn't Kagura, I already have Ultear and Meredy with me pretty much every second of my day so you joining in wouldn't change much. But you would have to be fine with them being with us all of the time, and besides I can already tell that you'll actually listen to me sometimes unlike those other two so you'll be pleasant company to have. But I do have to ask why would you want me to be your Master as you called it when there has to be better people out there?" asked Natsu.

"I disagree with you on that Natsu, there isn't anyone better out there for me to have as my Master. Within just meeting you, you've already helped me so much by actually just caring about me and making sure that I didn't let revenge become my sole purpose after hearing what happened to my brother. You also are an extremely strong mage who's fought a dragon and killed two drakes, not to mention all of those other things that you've already done. You're incredibly kind and caring and somehow can see the good in other people and forgive them when most wouldn't Natsu. These are the things that I need to learn for me to become a strong mage that Simon would be proud of." explained Kagura with a big smile.

"Thanks Kagura, those were incredibly nice things to say and I still think that there might be someone out there who would be better. But I will do my best to not let you down Kagura." said Natsu with his well-known grin.

"You won't Natsu, I just know it." replied Kagura with a big smile.

"Well do you want to become an official member of Fairy Tail right now Kagura?" asked Natsu as he started to look through the doors of the desk.

"I thought that the Master could only do that?" asked Kagura.

"You're right on that Kagura, but I like to do things my own way and I already know that everyone would love for you to join our family." said Natsu as he found the second stamp for giving out guild marks.

"Sure Natsu, as long as you are positive that this is okay." replied Kagura as she took off her blazer so that she could get the Fairy Tail emblem on her right shoulder.

"I'm positive, so what color?" asked Natsu with a big smile.

"White please." answered Kagura with a big smile.

"There you go Kagura, welcome to Fairy Tail and we'll have a huge party celebrating you joining as soon as we go back down there. But first I have to tell you everything about the Tower of Heaven." said Natsu with a slight frown.

"You really don't need to Natsu, you had your reasons why you didn't tell me right away." replied Kagura.

"Yes and now I have other reasons why I need to tell you everything right now, otherwise later on things could become bad because I wasn't completely honest with you right away Kagura." said Natsu with a serious face.

"Okay if that is what you think is the best for me Natsu." said Kagura with only a slight smile because of how serious Natsu was being.

"I do Kagura, and it will probably make you hate me and someone else for a bit but I would rather that happen right now. Then exploding in my face later on because I didn't want you knowing something that you had every right to know." said Natsu as he then told Kagura absolutely everything that happened at the tower and how Ultear was involved which took an hour.

"So that's everything Kagura, and I will make it up to you." said Natsu with a confident tone that he would one day set things right.

"Natsu I don't hate you, you've done nothing wrong. Yes I do hate Ultear right now but one of the reasons that I wanted you to be my Master was so that I wouldn't hate someone like Ultear when she's trying to make up for her past mistakes." said Kagura with a smile.

"Really, even after I let Ultear off pretty much scot free?" asked Natsu in disbelief.

"Yep, because you were giving her a second chance Natsu to actually do good and be a positive influence on the world. Which I don't know if she would have done without you being there for her." said Kagura still smiling at him.

"You are already really incredible Kagura." said Natsu with a big grin.

"That is already thanks to you Natsu and the talk that we had." replied Kagura with a small grin.

"Glad that I could help, so how about we go out there and announce the great news and start that party." said Natsu with a huge grin.

"Sound good Natsu." said Kagura as she got up to follow him out of the office.

"Listen up everyone, our family just got a little bit bigger! KAGURA JOINED FAIRY TAIL JUST NOW SO LETS PARTY!" shouted Natsu as he stood on the railing causing the rest of the guild to start cheering and welcoming Kagura to the guild as she came down the stairs and made her way to the bar where Natsu just jumped straight down to. This actually took her a few minutes to do since all of the other members wanted to say hi to her and introduce themselves.

"Natsu you have to stop just letting new members in, that is up to the Master." said Macao angrily.

"Are you saying that you wouldn't accept Kagura?" asked Natsu as he glared at Macao effectively scaring him.

"No of course not Natsu, it's just that I am supposed to be the one to do that." replied Macao.

"Fine I won't do it again Master Macao, I'll just waste my own time by coming and talking to you." said Natsu in teasing manner.

"Good that is all I wanted." replied Macao with a grin as a few other members laughed at the two of them bickering with each other.

"Hey Kagura how are you liking the guild so far?" asked Natsu as he turned away from Macao.

"They are really nice, and is it always this rowdy in here?" asked Kagura as she gestured to everyone else having a good time.

"Nope it only gets this awesome when we get new members." explained Natsu.

"Or when Natsu starts a brawl." said Wakaba with a big grin.

"Oh I forgot that it gets this loud when I do that." said Natsu with a sheepish grin.

"Pretty much it only gets this way when Natsu wants it to." said Ultear with a smile and was surprised to see that Kagura gave her a quick glare that no one else saw.

"Sounds about right." said Kagura with a big smile.

"Yep I am pretty awesome." said Natsu while chuckling.

"See he only brags about the stupid things that he does." shouted Jet so Droy could hear him.

"Oh you are so going to get it Jet." shouted Natsu as he tried to tackle Jet who sped off.

"You're going to have to catch me first Natsu." said Jet as he kept dodging Natsu's attempts of apprehending him, causing Natsu to accidentally start another brawl that eventually Jet and Natsu joined.

"It's truly never boring with Natsu around." said Wakaba with a big grin.

"You got that right Wakaba but look at all the damage he's making it's going to cost a fortune to fix." said Macao imagining all of the jewels Natsu gave him evaporating away.

"Master Macao I think you're forgetting that I am a member who can simply restore everything back to how it was before the fight started." said Ultear with a smug grin.

"Oh my god I forgot about that, Ultear you are such a lifesaver." said Macao as he tried to hug her but was denied by her holding him back at her arm's length away.

"Master Macao I already told you that only Natsu gets to hug me, I don't want any perverted old men hugging me." said Ultear instantly causing Macao to stop and slip into a state of depression for being called a perverted old man.

"Damn Ultear that was harsh." said Wakaba with a grin as all of a sudden Doranbolt appeared in front of them.

"Where's Natsu?" asked Doranbolt who looked worked up.

"You don't mean that another drake has appeared already?" asked Ultear in disbelief since the last one was only just a week ago.

"Unfortunately that is why I am here, but this time the Council hasn't angered it yet so no one's been hurt yet." replied Doranbolt.

"Shit, you have to be kidding me. Hey Macao give me all the fire you got in the tank, because I am still a little drained from the training earlier." said Natsu as he walked up to the group. Macao quickly snapped out of his depression to do as Natsu asked and kept sending him his fire until he was almost completely out.

"Thanks Macao that really helps, oh Ultear and Meredy, Kagura is going to be staying with us from now on so be nice to her and take her to our place if I don't come back for a while. See you guys later, let's go Doranbolt." said Natsu and then disappeared with Doranbolt.

"Well looks like we're going to be roommates Kagura." said Meredy with a big smile.

"Sounds like it'll be fun Meredy." replied Kagura smiling back at her.

"So if you don't mind me asking Kagura, but why are you going to be staying with us?" asked Ultear with a smile.

"I do mind Ultear but I'll tell you anyways. I am going to be staying with Natsu since he's going to be my Master and teach me everything that he knows." said Kagura as she glared at Ultear.

"Okay what did I do for you to hate me?" asked Ultear with her own glare.

"Because of you my brother died at the tower Ultear and I would have killed you by now if it wasn't for Natsu." replied Kagura shocking everyone around them.

"Oh I am so sorry for that Kagura, and I know that means nothing so if you must then take my life which still won't be enough to make up for what I did to you." said Ultear as she lowered her head in shame.

"I am not going to do that because Natsu made it clear to me that it wouldn't help anything and actually be one of the worst things that I could do. But I will not let you do anything that might cause Natsu to get hurt so I will be watching you Ultear." said Kagura in an angry tone and then walked away from them.

"Well that could have gone worse." said Meredy trying to be positive.

"That it could have, I am surprised that Natsu could actually convince her to not seek revenge." said Macao with a small grin.

"That is truly amazing, because that is such an easy thing to want to try and do." said Ultear who's see countless people succumb to that desire.

"Well your place is going to be even more interesting now." stated Wakaba as he and Macao started to laugh at what might happen to poor Natsu because of this decision.

 **With Natsu and Doranbolt:**

"This is where the drake was heading to." said Doranbolt as the appeared in barren waste land.

"What in the world is it doing out here?" asked Natsu.

"No idea Natsu, but it should be here in a minute." replied Doranbolt.

"Any idea what element does it uses if it even has one?" asked Natsu as he scanned the area noting that there was literally nothing around them.

"Sorry all that I can tell you is that it's green and is about half the size of the other two. And did you just say that drakes don't have to have an element?" asked Doranbolt as he looked for the drake as well.

"That I did Doranbolt, they can have nothing and they could also have some sort of magic that you wouldn't really classify as an element like sound for example." said Natsu as he locked in on something in the sky.

"Wow that is fascinating, can they have more than one type of magic?" asked Doranbolt.

"As far as I know they can't, but then again a long time ago we thought the same thing about humans so you never know. And here it comes Doranbolt you might want to get out of here." said Natsu as the green drake circled above them.

"Don't need to tell me twice." said Doranbolt with a grin and then disappeared.

"Hey drake, why don't you get down here so we can talk!" shouted Natsu with is hands cupped around his mouth to make himself louder. The drake continued to circle around him and watch him like a predator waiting for the perfect time to strike. And the drake did this for the next five minutes annoying Natsu since he could be having fun right now at Fairy Tail if it wasn't for this damn drake.

Luckily for Natsu that were ever they were right now still had some day light, because it was completely dark at Magnolia and it would be here too if he didn't do something fast. So Natsu decided to let out a challenging roar hoping that it would bring the drake down so they could talk, and it was quite the tremendous roar once again and actually brought the drake to the ground.

"Good now we can have a conversation." said Natsu as the drake stood before him and was indeed half the size of the previous two meaning that it was still pretty young in drake terms.

"Not much of a talker are you?" asked Natsu and only got a roar form the drake as it then started to circle him.

"Well I know that you can hear me, so I just wanted to let you know that we don't have to fight." said Natsu who quickly rolled to the left to dodge the claws of the small drake.

"Why do you drakes only want to fight me?" asked Natsu as he dodged and rolled out of the way of a few more attacks from the drake that wasn't even willing to talk with him.

"You haven't hit me yet drake so we can still settle this peacefully." said Natsu as he dodged a tail coming down to smash him by twisting to the left. But Natsu didn't expect the drake to swing his tail right at him after hitting the ground its tail so hard, which led to Natsu getting hit in the back and being launched thirty feet away.

"Now I guess you have to die since you didn't take me up on my offer drake." said Natsu as he cracked his neck and knuckles. The drake just smirked at Natsu and then charged up his roar and unleashed it on Natsu, but this time Natsu just dodged the roar not wanting to make a mistake like last time.

And when Natsu did he was surprised that the dragon was spewing green gas that remained in the air that it landed at. Natsu didn't have time to think more about this because the drake moved its head while still roaring trying to get Natsu at his new stop.

"Well now there's your gross green gas everywhere." said Natsu as the drakes roar finally stopped and it just looked at Natsu with a smirk since the place now had the green gas everywhere.

"My turn drake who doesn't even know who it's messing with!" shouted Natsu as he lit both of his fists on fire which caused the drake's eyes to widen in fear.

"Oh are you afraid of fire?" asked Natsu as he increased the amount of flames and charged the drake, but before he got close to the drake some of Natsu's flames touched the gas.

Doranbolt was watching from a good distance as he saw a green cloud form around the two. Then the next second there is an explosion that sent a gust of wind that almost knocked Doranbolt over as a huge pillar of fire shot into the air where the green cloud used to be.

"Natsu that seems a little excessive even for a drake." said Doranbolt with a grin thinking that it was done already.

"No wonder you got afraid of my fire, drake" said Natsu as he slowly walked over to the severely burned drake who only snarled at Natsu.

"Still not going to talk to me, fine I am going to finish this right now because I am honestly tired from everything else that I've done today." said Natsu as he now only stood about ten fifteen feet away from the drake.

The drake with its last strength that it had lunged at Natsu trying to bite him. But Natsu skillfully jumped over the sloppy attack and landed on the drake's neck and pulled back his first.

 **"FIRE DRAGON'S PIERCING FISTS!"** shouted Natsu as he quickly stabbed the drake on the top of its skull in the exact spot twice. And on the second hit Natsu's arm shot into the drake ending it right there not even letting it get out a final roar.

"You were definitely too young to be fighting me, I tried to not fight you but you wouldn't even talk back to me." said Natsu as he got off of the drake an looked at it laying there dead when just moments ago it was flying majestically in the sky.

"I guess I shouldn't lecture you when I was just like you only a few months ago." said Natsu as he started to harvest everything he could from the dead drake and afterwards he burned it like he did with the other two.

"That was really quick Natsu." said Doranbolt with a smile.

"The drake was only a kid." replied Natsu with a big frown as he watched the corpse slowly burn.

"Oh, I really couldn't tell and you had to kill it Natsu otherwise who knows how many other people would have died because of it." said Doranbolt trying to cheer Natsu up.

"I know Doranbolt, but that doesn't make it any easier for me. It wouldn't even talk with me so I have no idea why it was even here or why it decided to just fight me." said Natsu still frowning.

"Well it sounds to me like you tried to not fight it Natsu, but it decided to fight even though you didn't want to." replied Doranbolt with a small smile.

"A lot of good that did." said Natsu as he finally looked at Doranbolt.

"Yes it didn't help now Natsu, but at least you tried to talk with the drake and didn't just attack it." pointed out Doranbolt.

"I guess you're right Doranbolt, could you take me back?" asked Natsu with a faint smile.

"Sure thing Natsu but what was that move you did right away?" asked Doranbolt as he grabbed Natsu and teleported to Fairy Tail surprising everyone that Natsu was already done and didn't even look like he was hurt at all.

"That wasn't just me Doranbolt; the drake was some sort of poison or gas type whose gas was extremely flammable. Which caused the fight to be completely in my favor and pretty much ended it without me even attacking the drake before I finished it off." explained Natsu causing everyone else to look at him with awe.

"Wow that was very unfortunate for the little guy that you were the one to fight him Natsu." said Doranbolt with a frown.

"Why are you two sad about killing a drake?" asked a newer member.

"Because I wish that I would never have to kill such a majestic creature, especially when they are just a child in drake terms." answered Natsu as he glared at the member who sat back down and didn't say another word.

"I know it's hard Natsu, but you just saved lives by killing it even if it was only a child." said Ultear as she hugged him.

"Yea I know that Ultear, which is why I was actually able to kill it. But what bugs me is that it wouldn't even talk with me and only wanted to fight me when it had no chance of winning." replied Natsu with a frown.

"Natsu I already told you this, but you did try to talk with it but it was too stubborn to listen to you and because of that it died." said Doranbolt with a slight frown.

"Yea, Yea I know that but I am always going to regret each time I have to kill a drake." replied Natsu as he got out of Ultear's hug and headed towards the bar.

"I am sorry that you have to do this Natsu, and your jewels will be sent here tomorrow even though I know that won't help you at all with this." said Doranbolt with a frown.

"You're right Doranbolt, so why don't you have a drink with me so that we can become friends." said Natsu as he sat down at the bar on a stool.

"Wait, why would you want to be my friend after what I did?" asked Doranbolt.

"Because I have already forgiven you for that and know that you were just doing your job. Besides Doranbolt thanks to that I don't have to be concerned about the Council ever messing with us again as long as we don't do something extremely stupid." said Natsu with a big grin.

"Are you sure Natsu?" asked Doranbolt who didn't want to upset anyone from Fairy Tail.

"Positive Doranbolt, you're a good guy and I have a feeling that we are going to be working with each other for a long time. So why not become friends and make this more enjoyable for the both of us and this will also give you the chance to vent about the Council if you want." said Natsu with a huge grin.

"Okay Natsu, but just for a bit." replied Doranbolt with a smile.

"Alright that's what I wanted to hear, Kinana can I have a bottle of fire whisky and a bottle of whatever Doranbolt wants." said Natsu smiling at the barmaid.

"I'll just have a glass of scotch." said Doranbolt with a small smile.

"Nope, make that a bottle Kinana and put it on my tab." said Natsu as he grabbed two glasses from the other side of the bar.

"I'll be back in a second Natsu." replied Kinana with a big smile.

"I really don't plan to have that much Natsu." stated Doranbolt.

"Fine by me man, but this way if you want more you don't have to ask. Also we can share it with anyone else that want's to join us." replied Natsu with a big grin.

"Like me Natsu?" asked Ultear as she hugged him from behind.

"Of course someone like you Ultear." replied Natsu as he smiled at her.

"What about us?" asked Meredy with a big smirk as she and Kagura came up to them.

"Sorry Meredy, but you two are still too young, but in a few years you two will be able to join us. Thanks Kinana." said Natsu as Kinana placed the bottles in front him.

"What about your Master Natsu?" asked Macao with a big grin.

"And his advisor?" asked Wakaba with a smirk.

"Yes to both of you, you know what everyone the drinks are on me tonight!" shouted Natsu which got a huge cheer from the rest of the guild.

"That is awfully generous of you Natsu." stated Kinana with a grin.

"I did just earn five million jewels just a few minutes ago, so why not share the wealth." replied Natsu as he grinned back at her.

"That sounds like a good idea to me Natsu, but I think that you might want to sit at a table since you all can't fit at the bar." said Kinana as she gestured at the group that formed around Natsu.

"Good idea Kinana and once you have some free time feel free to join us." said Natsu as he sprung from is stool and headed to some empty tables with his groups following after. Kinana could only smile and think to herself that she might have to take him up on that offer since Natsu would probably end up telling stories and he always used his whole body which always made them entertaining to watch and listen to.

So for the next three hours Natsu and the rest of Fairy Tail drank and enjoyed each other's company until there were only a few people that weren't asleep or passed out from drinking until two in the morning. The only ones awake right now were Natsu, Macao, Ultear and Doranbolt who definitely had too much to drink and stayed a lot longer than anyone expected.

"Are you sure that you need to go back right now Doranbolt?" asked Natsu with a grin on his face.

"Positive Natsu my good buddy." replied Doranbolt with a big grin.

"It might be better if you just spend the night here until you sober up some more." suggested Macao who also couldn't help but grin at the drunk Council employee.

"I have to be there early, so bye, bye now." replied Doranbolt who hiccupped and then disappeared.

"I hope that he makes it back okay." said Natsu who was still grinning.

"Don't worry Natsu, Doranbolt is still a very skilled mage even while drunk so he'll be fine." reassured Ultear.

"Natsu how in the world are you still completely fine, I saw you finish two bottles by yourself?" asked Macao as he glared at Natsu.

"Well Master Macao I don't think I can even get drunk, it has something to do with my magic burning up the alcohol before it even affects me." explained Natsu.

"Then why don't you drink more, not to mention beat Cana in a drinking contest?" asked Macao who could now only think about how many jewels he could make by betting on Natsu.

"Because it's more expensive than the food that I usually get, and why would I want to beat Cana at that?" asked Natsu with a grin.

"I guess you have a good point there since you don't feel the effects of drinking. But promise me Natsu that once they return you'll challenge Cana and beat her for me." said Macao with a big grin.

"You just want me to do that so you can make some quick jewels by betting on me Master Macao." accused Natsu with a big grin.

"So what Natsu, besides think of the looks on all of their faces when you beat Cana and are completely fine." replied Macao with a sly grin.

"Alright I'm in because it would be priceless to see them react to me winning." said Natsu who also had a sly grin on his face.

"You two are terrible you know that." stated Ultear with her own grin.

"Oh come on Ultear I can tell that you are going to enjoy this as much as we do. Also you could make some jewels off of this just like Master Macao." replied Natsu still grinning.

"You know you want to Ultear." said Macao.

"Fine I am in, but what I want to see is their face when they see Meredy and I here as members." said Ultear with a big grin.

"Oh my god I completely forgot about that, man it's going to be so awesome. I bet Erza will instantly try to attack you thinking that you somehow tricked us into letting you join Fairy Tail." said Natsu as he started to laugh at all of the possible scenarios that could actually happen.

"Oh no, think about all the damages that will happen and I'll have to pay for." moaned Macao.

"Master Macao you really need to remember that you only need to pay for what our members destroy on jobs, since I can fix anything that is broken at the guild." stated Ultear with a proud grin.

"Sorry Ultear, I don't know why I keep forgetting that." apologized Macao.

"It's because you're an old man now, Master Macao." said Natsu with a big grin.

"Shut up Natsu, oh and since it seems that everyone else is asleep how have your two projects been coming along?" asked Macao.

"Were actually done with both of them Master Macao." replied Ultear.

"Really, that was faster than I expected." stated Macao.

"We both thought that the quicker that we get this done the better, but it's not a fool proof system yet Master Macao." said Natsu.

"Yes in order for that we would need to let a really experienced rune mage in on this and possibly a few others." said Ultear as the all headed to the library.

"We do have that new member that is very skilled with runes." pointed out Macao.

"We know that Master Macao but I want to be really care full especially after what happened with Doranbolt, I don't fully trust any of the new members yet. I need to spend some more time with them before I will be able to do that." replied Natsu.

"That's probably a smart decision to make there Natsu, but why are you now trying to be friends with Doranbolt?" asked Macao.

"It's like I said to Doranbolt, he's actually a good guy. Also I know that he'd never betray us again and I think that it might be a good idea to try and get on the Council's good side after some of the shit we just pulled, and a way to do that is start making friends with some of their employees. And who knows, Doranbolt might even start telling us some of the plans that the Council are working on especially if he doesn't agree with them." explained Natsu with a big grin.

"Wow once again it surprises me how far ahead you are planning Natsu." said Macao as they came up to a book shelf that Natsu swung open to reveal a door.

"Thanks Master Macao." replied Natsu still grinning.

"Another mage that we want to work on this would be one skilled in illusions and with the help of the rune mage we would make it impossible to find this place without being shown it." explained Ultear as she opened the door and went in.

"Wow you guys have it really organized in here and even kept two tables with chairs for people to use while looking at this stuff." said Macao he looked at one of the books.

"Yea we did that because we have it right now that if you try and take something out of this room it'll catch on fire and burn until nothing but ashes are left." said Natsu with a grin.

"That is definitely one way of protecting them." stated Macao with his own grin.

"That's not all we did Master Macao, if Natsu and I don't bring a person in here together then if someone comes in by themselves then all of the selves will go into the floors. Where if someone forces their way into them while they are down there then that whole shelf will be completely burned, just like if anyone opened the chests." explained Ultear.

"So are you saying that if I were to come back here without you two then there would only be the tables and chair?" asked Macao with a frown.

"Nope Master Macao, sorry about not explaining this whole thing clearly, if you came back everything would still be here since you have already been here with me and Natsu, but let's say you bring Wakaba with you and you leave or he comes back by himself then everything goes into the floor." explained Ultear with a big grin.

"Wow that is pretty impressive but why do you two always have it burn if something bad happens?" asked Macao.

"That's because my fire according to Ultear is one of the few things that can guarantee the complete destruction of some of the really dangerous stuff." replied Natsu with a proud grin.

"That makes sense I guess, and it seems like this should be pretty safe for now since we don't know who we can fully trust out of the new members yet." said Macao as the left the back room.

"Yea that's what Natsu and I thought, but would like to increase security whenever we can." stated Ultear as they headed towards the basement.

"So is it safe to assume that Meredy knows about all of this?" asked Macao.

"Yes she does Master Macao, but trust me when I say that she would never tell anyone about any of this." replied Natsu.

"Oh I know that Natsu, I just wanted to know absolutely everyone who knows about it." said Macao with a grin.

"And here is the vault that you asked for." said Ultear with a big grin as they were now in front of a huge vault door that you would see in a bank.

"I thought that we wanted it to be secret?" asked Macao as he wondered how they got this thing down here without anyone noticing.

"Oh this is just the one that we'll store our jewels in and possibly things that members want to keep safe. But that is completely up to you Master Macao." said Natsu as he spun the nobs and then shot fire into a hole on the door.

"Let me guess that this only opens to your fire Natsu?" asked Macao as Natsu opened the huge door.

"Not this time Master Macao, because like Natsu said we thought that we might let other members use this. So all you have to do to open it is know the combination and then send a large amount of magic into it, otherwise it won't open." explained Ultear with a big smile as the went into the vault.

It was right away a little room with more than two hundred lock boxes on both sides of the room. On the wall directly opposite of the vault door was another smaller vault door that looked identical to the bigger one. This time Ultear opened it with the same process that Natsu used on the other one.

Inside of this room all of the walls were covered with lock boxes and in the middle of the room were four rows of sturdy shelves that as of right now only had Natsu's chest that he got from killing the drake last week on it. Natsu and Ultear went to two different lock boxes and opened them and pushed something that caused a section of the lock boxes to sink into the floor showing a solid black steel door.

"Now this door can only open to Natsu's fire being used, and behind it are the chests that contain the things that I think are too dangerous for us to let anyone else look at. It of course has our go to solution that if someone forces their way in there, it will result with the intruders only finding a pile of ash." explained Ultear as they caused the lock boxes to cover the door again.

"Once again I am impressed with what you two did, but why have it so that you have to use a large amount of magic to open those two doors?" asked Macao.

"So that we can always know if someone is opening them because that is something that would be very hard to hide from us when we are only just upstairs." explained Natsu as they exited the vault.

"That makes sense, but how on earth did you two even do all of this?" asked Macao.

"You would be surprised how well Natsu's destructive power and my ability to revert things back to previous states work together. Natsu blasted away with his fire until we reached all the way up to the surface, which then allowed us to drop this thing in and I fixed anything that broke when we did that. And then reverted everything around it until it was back to normal." explained Ultear.

"Wow, that was a really smart way to do that but where did you even get a vault like that?" asked Macao.

"Know a guy who can do almost anything with metal." answered Ultear with a grin.

"Well I have seen all I need to, so I am thinking that I am going to call it a night." said Macao as they went back up to the main room of the guild.

"See you two tomorrow." said Macao as he left the guild.

"So do we want to wake those two up?" asked Ultear as she pointed at Meredy and Kagura who were sleeping together.

"I don't think we should, I was actually planning on spending the night here so I can get a little more reading done. Also I am surprised that they look like they are already close to one another." said Natsu with a grin.

"I would say that Meredy is kind of like you Natsu, when she wants to be your friend nothing can stop her even if her mother figure killed your brother." said Ultear with a frown.

"So I take it Kagura confronted you about it." stated Natsu.

"Yes she did and informed everyone that you're her new Master, Natsu I didn't know that you liked to be called that, Master Natsu." teased Ultear.

"You know that it is not like that between Kagura and me, Ultear, and I really wish she would just say teacher so you couldn't make jokes like this. When she first told that I would be her Master I thought that she thought I was the Master of Fairy Tail, which is completely ridiculous." said Natsu as he laughed to himself.

"It's not that ridiculous Natsu." stated Ultear with a smile.

"Yea whatever Ultear I am going up to the second level to read some more of this book and I'll probably go to sleep on one of the tables up there." said Natsu with a grin as he headed to the stairs.

"Well I will shut off the lights down here and meet you up there Natsu." said Ultear with a big smile.

"No need to rush since I want to get some reading in Ultear." relied Natsu as he got to the second level and disappeared.

"We'll see how farfetched you becoming the Master of Fairy Tail is in a few years Natsu." said Ultear to herself as she repaired all of the broken things in the guild and then turned off the lights as she went to the second level to be with Natsu while he reads.

 **End of Chapter**

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. So I was thinking of doing another time skip that was around three months again, maybe a little more or a little less, where I quickly go over what's been going on until the next big event that happens. Well that is just what I am thinking right now of doing, so as always feel free to leave me a review.**

 **Until the next Chapter  
Digem Out!**


	7. A Visit from Twilight Ogre

Ch 7: A Visit from Twilight Ogre

 **Three months later:**

Not a lot happened in the last three months for Fairy Tail, and this was mostly due to the fact that all of the members where taking advantage of Natsu's boot camp that he set up. Even Macao and Wakaba would occasionally join in on the training and quickly learned that all of the instructors treated everyone exactly the same and that was brutally in their opinion. Macao liked to attribute the peace and quiet that they were receiving to the fact that Natsu was too busy right now to go out and do jobs that would eventually become save the world situations.

Now for Natsu Dragneel this was probably the busiest three months that he's ever gone through, but he was really happy with all that he's so far been able to accomplish with them. Early each morning Natsu and Kagura would train with Kei, where they would all focus on their swordsman ship where Natsu quickly learned that Kagura was an overall better swordsman than him. But thanks to his enhanced senses he's been able to keep up with her and actually give her a challenge.

One of Natsu's favorite accomplishments over these three months is getting Kei to open up more and actually be able to come to the group trainings during the day when she wanted to. But they still did their morning training sessions because it kind of became a tradition that they all liked because Kagura and Kei felt like they could ask Natsu anything during this time. Natsu was hoping that he could figure out why Kei is so afraid of fire but she still seemed reluctant to share that detail with him yet, so Natsu decided to just ever so slowly get her used to him using fire and right now he could use just a bit of fire and Kei wouldn't freak out. But Natsu was determined to get it where Kei would be completely fine with his fire and he knew that it was just a matter of time until they got there.

As Natsu thought, adding Kagura to his little group of friends that were with him all of the time was a great decision because it forced Kagura and Ultear to be together. And after three months Kagura has finally stopped giving Ultear the death glare which all of them saw as great improvement. Kagura still of course would only speak to Ultear if it was absolutely necessary, otherwise she would just keep an eye on the time mage making sure that she wasn't up to some sort of scheme. Another thing that Natsu was happy to notice was that Kagura, Kei and Meredy became really close friends over the last three months together and if they weren't with him they were most likely with each other training or most likely just talking like normal teenagers do at their age.

Natsu's home life changed a lot over the three months as well. They all decided that it would be a good idea for Kagura and Meredy to have their own room rather than camping out in the living room. So they cleaned out a room that Natsu only used for storage and switched it to the second bedroom that the two girls got to furnish how they pleased. Which for Kagura was a very simple thing to do; all she wanted was the bare essentials and everything in white, while Meredy on the other hand was a little different. She wanted absolutely everything in pink and also wanted to get anything that Natsu was willing to buy for her, which was pretty much anything that would still fit in her side of the room. So one side of the bedroom was well organized and white while the other side looked like a pink explosion happened with pillows everywhere.

But that wasn't the only thing that happened to Natsu's little house. With the help from Ultear they completely re-did all of the houses furniture so that it would accommodate all four of them better than his old set of furniture. Natsu was a little reluctant to this idea at first but finally caved in from Ultear constantly asking for new furniture and a bed for their bedroom since she wasn't that big of a fan of his hammock. Afterwards Natsu did have to admit that he liked what Ultear did with his place because it did make everything easier for the four of them to do and actually having a soft big bed to sleep on with Ultear was the part that really sealed the deal for Natsu.

Natsu second favorite accomplishment of these three months was how far all of the members of Fairy Tail actually grew with his training and all of them still doing jobs. He was completely confident if he wasn't there anymore that they would all be fine without him and keep Fairy Tail as strong as ever. There were a few members that really stood out for Natsu and were really pushing themselves harder than the rest, and this excluded Kagura and Kei since they definitely were pushing themselves really hard with all of their extra lessons that they were doing with Natsu. The ones that Natsu was impressed with were: Jet, Droy, Laki, Warren and Max, and they were all determined to become the best that they could be.

Max surprisingly could be very deadly with his sand magic and started to come up with his own spells that were quite terrifying if you were the enemy. Such as his mummy move as Natsu liked to call it where he would encase his enemy in his sand and drain them of their bodily fluids while also making them run out of air. This move of course was extremely easy for a strong mage to get out of, but if they panicked it would finish the fight quickly. But what Natsu was really impressed with was Max being able to stop his roar at half power, which showed how strong Max was now with his magic.

What impressed Natsu about Warren was he started to train in hand to hand combat and with a sword extensively. And while fighting he worked on being able to read his opponent's mind so that he could easily defeat them in battle since he would know what move they were going to do before they did it. Not only that but he also worked on his mass communication with it while also working on long distance communication as well. But what Natsu really liked about Warren was that he also started to teach other members how to block him from being able to read their thoughts if they didn't want him to. When Natsu asked him why he started to do something that would make all of his fights later on harder, Warren replied that he didn't care if he lost all of his fights with his friends as long as they didn't lose to a different mage with telepathy. Warren also said that he didn't want any member possibly giving out information that they didn't want released, like Acnologia actually being intelligent.

Laki proved to Natsu that a maker mage was as strong as there imagination, and Laki's was quite terrifying. She was extremely quick on coming up with solutions to problems that were happening on the battle field, and thanks to her wood make magic she could handle almost all of them. Natsu also found out that her names for her spells were quite ingenious since they didn't give away the move at all, if anything they confused her enemies which would allow the attack to connect.

Droy unfortunately relied heavily on what seeds he had so he was constantly going out on jobs that might allow him to find new seeds that would be helpful in increasing his collection. Not only did Droy do that but he also started to have his own garden at the guild where he was trying to come up with his own unique plants. But Droy was still not satisfied by doing all of this so he threw himself into Meredy's intense physical training and would actually go above and beyond what she asked of them, which caused Droy to start looking quite ripped. He wasn't as big as Elfman, but that wasn't what Droy wanted, he wanted to have the ideal body for actually fighting.

Jet was actually the one that Natsu thought improved the most because he was actually becoming really hard for Natsu to beat in there duals. Jet would constantly be working on getting faster and increasing his endurance so that he could go for hours if needed. Thanks to Natsu he also started to work on his reflexes, which was something at the beginning Jet didn't even think about doing. Another thing Jet decided to do from the suggestion of Natsu was to start using a weapon. Well it was actually two daggers with an extra pair in case he gets disarmed and can't retrieve them for some reason. Natsu and Jet were constantly sparing one another when every they can since they are the only people in Fairy Tail that can keep up with each other's movements and actually help the other get even faster reflexes.

There were other members that where showing great promise but none of them had as much drive as those five members who wanted to impress the Tenrou group when they finally return. While also wanting to make sure that Fairy Tail stay as the number one guild in Fiore just like Natsu said they should.

During this time Natsu also learned a lot about Kei's magic and also what magic Kagura actually had which was gravity magic and she only used it if she can't win with just her sword. Kei after training with Natsu and Kagura finally got the war soul to start talking with her and explaining her magic and teaching her new moves. Kei also mastered three other weapons and learned a few shadow attacks with each of them that were quite powerful if they landed a hit on her opponent.

As for how much Ultear and Meredy learned over the last three months Natsu actually didn't know since he was so busy with everything else that he was doing. But Natsu was confident that they were still learning new things while still getting stronger because they were two of Fairy Tail's three S-Class mages. Natsu was of course the third one, Macao a month ago made it official and surprisingly the Council had no problems with Fairy Tail making three members S-Class. But then again that was kind of part of the deal that Natsu made with the Council, and they were indeed keeping their noses out of Fairy Tail business. They probably did this because Natsu was still dealing with the drakes for them that were still showing up.

Over the last three months only two more drakes showed up and unfortunately for Natsu they were both just young drakes that didn't know who they were dealing with. And they both just like the first one didn't talk to Natsu once which made him extremely angry and for the rest of those two days no one but the women staying at his place were brave enough to talk to him.

The first drake of these two was an earth drake that actually got one good hit on Natsu, but that was it because it was still very inexperienced when compared to Natsu and its color scheme was brown with a little black. The second one was a fire drake just like Zechum but its color scheme was the exact opposite, with the main color being red with only a little bit of black. The second one didn't stand a chance against Natsu, and after Natsu defeated them he did the same thing that he had with the rest. Natsu made sure that their bodies wouldn't be tested on by the Council, who so far had no complaints about him doing this probably because they were trying to get on his good side.

Natsu had also been reading from his dragon slayer book each night and he had finally gotten to the part where they taught moves. The first few moves were things that either Igneel taught him or were one's that he came up with on his own. There were also some that didn't apply to him since he was a fire dragon slayer but he still taught himself them thinking that he might be able to adapt them into something that he could actually use. But Natsu still hadn't even gotten through half of the book yet since he had very little free time and it was also hard for even him to read.

This was in Natsu's opinion the big things that happened over the last three months and today he felt like something was going to happen and he was starting to feel restless. The thing that Natsu knew was going to happen today, he had no idea if it was going to be good or bad but he did know that it was probably going to help with this restless feeling that he was having.

Natsu was behind the guild and they were just about to start their second rotation for the day when he smelt something that was out of place.

"Hey everyone, I think we are going to call it quits for today." said Natsu shocking everyone there.

"Why would we do that Natsu?" asked Jet who still wanted to have his match with Natsu today.

"Because we have guests at the guild right now and I think that we need to go say hi to them. Also I think that after I say hello I need to go shopping for a few things." answered Natsu with a big grin.

"Who's visiting us Natsu?" asked Meredy.

"I honestly don't know, I've never met them before but I can tell that they are very full of themselves." replied Natsu as he and the rest of the members training headed for the guild.

"How in the world do you know that Natsu?" asked Kagura with an eyebrow raised.

"A few things are telling me that it's highly likely, such as their auras and also their scents. But I could be wrong on this since we are a good distance away from the guild." responded Natsu with a bigger grin.

"Sure you are Natsu, so are they an enemy of Fairy Tail?" asked Jet with a big smile hoping that they were since it would allow him to let loose like he does with Natsu in their duels.

"That is yet to be seen Jet, but if they are I am going to let you guys deal with them while I go and do that shopping that I wanted." replied Natsu once again shocking everyone with him.

"Natsu is turning down a fight?" asked Kei who learned really quickly how much Natsu enjoyed fighting.

"Yep, but that is so you guys can see how much you've been improving with this training that you've all been doing." replied Natsu as they came up to the back door and then went in.

 **Moments earlier inside of Fairy Tail:**

"Well look at what we got here boys?" asked a man with a huge club on his back that had two guys on each of his sides.

"I'd say that it's the remnants of a once strong guild Thibault." replied one of his lackeys.

"Wow do these guys have that big of a death wish TM Macao?" asked Wakaba with a big grin.

"Apparently they do Wakaba." answered Macao with a bigger grin.

"What the hell are you two old geezers talking about?" asked the man identified as Thibault.

"Are you saying that you don't even know what guild you are making fun of?" asked Wakaba still grinning.

"Oh we know who you guys are; you're Fairy Tail that used to be the number one guild in Fiore. But that was before you lost all of your strongest members half a year ago." replied Thibault with a grin.

"We're still number one whoever you are." stated Macao still grinning.

"Number one my ass, look at your deserted guild hall." said one of the lackeys with a smirk.

"No kidding, all I see are two old geezers that don't realize that their guild is done for." stated a different lackey.

"They must not read the news much." said Wakaba with a big grin as leaned up against the bar.

"Of course they don't Wakaba look at them, I don't think half of them can even read at all." replied Macao with a smirk.

"Like hell we can't you old bastard!" shouted one of the lackeys and was about to attack but was stopped by Thibault.

"Don't let their taunts get to you so easy, they just don't know yet that our guild is going to be the next number one guild in Fiore yet. And that soon they'll have to even leave Magnolia and this nice guild hall since Twilight Ogre is going to be taking all of their jobs." said Thibault with his own smirk on his face.

"I guess you are right TM Macao, otherwise they wouldn't say such stupid things while standing in his guild hall." said Wakaba with a look of pity on his face.

"You are so right Wakaba, it's truly a shame to watch five young men being burnt alive." said Macao as he shook his head while also now having a look of pity on his face.

"What are you two talking about, and for your information I know everything that's happening around Fiore?" asked one of the lackeys.

"Oh you do, I guess you're all just extremely stupid then." said Wakaba with a grin once again on his face.

"I think that you two are being the stupid ones for talking to us like that!" shouted a different lackey angrily.

"Nope definitely you guys, since you thought it was a good idea to come to the guild that the Salamander belongs to and threatening to attack its Master. And also saying that you are going to kick us out of our own town and taking our position as number one, I am really not looking forward to explaining to the Council why the Salamander almost killed five stupid idiots. But I guess that comes with being the Master of Fairy Tail." explained Macao with a big grin.

"He's actually real?" asked one of the lackeys who was obviously terrified right now.

"No he isn't, and neither are those drakes that are in the news." said Thibault with a confident smirk.

"I don't know boss, because I know that the drakes are definitely real because one of my friends saw one. So why wouldn't the Salamander be real too." stated another lackey.

"Shut up you two, can't you see that these two are just trying to scare you? Since all of their strong members died on that island Fairy Tail is nothing now." shouted Thibault.

"It's your guy's funeral if you stay here any longer." stated Macao.

"You know what, this was supposed to be a friendly warning but I see now that I am going to have to teach you to respect those that are better than you." said Thibault as he took out his club and started to smash things as he made his way towards Macao who didn't even look scared in the slightest.

"Man you really are stupid aren't you." stated Macao with a confident smirk.

"Fuck you old man!" shouted Thibault as he swung his giant club at Macao's head but was stopped an inch from hitting him.

"Natsu please don't kill any of them?" asked Macao in a tired voice.

"And why should I do that Master Macao?" asked Natsu as he melted the club that was in his hand while glaring at Thibault while increasing the temperature in the guild rapidly while releasing his magic.

"Because if you do that then the Council will be all over us again." stated Macao.

"Fuck the Council Master Macao I think it's time that these little punks learn what happens to people who mess with Fairy Tail." said Natsu as he grabbed Thibault by the throat and lifted him off of the ground.

"I told you he's real!" shouted the lackey that said the drakes were real.

"Let's get out of here!" shouted a different lackey.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" asked Natsu who was now standing in between the door and the mages form Twilight Ogre with Thibault still in his hand barely getting enough air to breath. All of the Twilight Ogre mages where now scared out of their minds by the heat coming off of Natsu and the glare that he was giving them.

"B-b-b-back t-t-to o-o-our g-g-guild." stuttered out one brave sole.

"Sorry but I am afraid that you'll have to stay here for a while and take part of Fairy Tail's famous brawls were you'll all be the guests of honor. But don't worry I think I need to go and introduce myself to the rest of your guild." said Natsu as he tossed Thibault at his lackeys and turned to leave.

"See that men he's just running away because he knows that he can't take us all on by himself since all those stories and rumors are just lies." said Thibault as he rubbed his throat.

"You're really lucky Thibault that one of our members doesn't like fire otherwise you and your friends would be burning right now. But I think that the rest of your guild will enjoy the gift that you decided to send to them. Oh and all of those rumors are true by the way and I am not running from you and your weak team, I am just letting the rest of my guild have fun with five idiots who tried to attack our Master. So enjoy that brawl that I promised you guys and let me know if you want me to join in next time." said Natsu who then left the guild through the front door.

"What guild, all I see are those two idiots?" asked Thibault who turned around to see that there was now at least thirty people standing there with grins on all of their faces.

"So what were you guys saying about the guild being abandoned and no longer being first?" asked Wakaba.

"What I want to know is who's guild is actually better, so why don't we settle this with a good old fashion fight since you guys were so kind to attack us without any cause? So anything that happens after this is all legal by the Council's laws as long as we don't kill any of you." stated Macao with a grin.

"Even if we did kill them the Council would just look the other way considering that Natsu is still the only person that can deal with the drakes." said Laki as she started to smile at the Twilight Ogre mages in a very creepy way.

"Fucking run!" shouted Thibault as he and his men got up and ran towards the doors. But before they reached them they were all hit by something that they couldn't see and launched into the middle of the guild hall.

"I remember Salamander telling all of you guys to have fun with one of our famous brawls. So why were you all trying to run away when it hasn't even started yet?" asked Jet who appeared in front of the door with a big grin on his face.

"We're sorry and we'll never do anything like this again." said one of the lackeys who was shaking in fear at the now present guild that all looked a little pissed off.

"Yea just let us go and our guild will never bother your guild again." pleaded Thibault which caused all of Fairy Tail to start laughing.

"What are you laughing about?" asked one of Thibault's men.

"We're laughing because you think that you are actually going to have a guild after what you said in front of the Salamander." said Max who was wiping away a tear.

"You guys did probably the three worst things possible." said Jet who was still blocking their way out while he twirled a dagger in his hand.

"First you bad mouthed Fairy Tail which really gets Salamander pissed." said Wakaba who was smiling at the Twilight Ogre mages.

"Then you guys are dumb enough to try and attack our Master while also saying that the Tenrou group died, which is a really big mistake." said Laki as she had wood snakes coming in and out of the floor around the Twilight Ogre mages making it impossible for them to move from their spot.

"But you guys really messed up when you threatened to try and get rid of Fairy Tail. The Salamander is really protective of what he considers his family and that would be Fairy Tail, so he's going to make sure that it never happens again." said Kei with a big smile as she made two red swords appear out of nowhere and started to do practice swings.

"Which is why your guild is probably being completely destroyed right about…" said Warren with a smirk as they all waited for him to finish when they all heard a loud explosion come from the town.

"Now, and I can only assume that Salamander is literally beating your Master to a bloody pulp right now. And anyone else who's dumb enough to try and stop him, oh and that explosion was definitely your guild hall being obliterated." finished Warren as he sat down next to Macao.

"So what are you going to do with us?" asked another man of Thibault's.

"Well we could just all gang up on you like you were going to do to our Master, but were would be the fun in that. I mean I could easily take all of you on by myself, so we'll have it were they're just one on one battles." stated Jet as he then quickly gave each of them a cut on their checks showing that he easily could have taken their lives.

"We'll give you five minutes after which you'll then switch to a different member of our guild until you can't fight anymore." said Macao with a big grin on his face.

"What if we don't want to fight?" asked a lackey who looked like he was about to piss himself.

"That really doesn't make sense since you were the guys to start this." stated Wakaba with a big grin as another explosion was heard.

"If that is the case then we will only make you fight three members otherwise you'll have to stay here until you man up and try to finish what you started." said Macao who was proud of Fairy Tail and how much they've grown in this last six months.

"Do we really have to?" begged a lackey actually on his knees.

"Yes, because we can't let you get away with bad mouthing our guild or any of its members. And it would be a good idea to show everyone else what happens to anyone that messes with us." said Nab who made his way to the front of the group and was cracking his knuckles while grinning at them. The Twilight Ogre all gulped together and got ready for the longest fifteen minutes of their lives.

 **With Natsu and his stroll in Magnolia:**

"Natsu wait up for us!" shouted Meredy as she, Ultear and Kagura chased after him.

"What's up?" asked Natsu as he continued walking.

"Well we wanted to know what you were going to do?" asked Ultear as they caught up to Natsu and his leisurely pace.

"Oh just going to go and say hi to Twilight Ogre, you know nothing too special." replied Natsu with a grin.

"We knew that but what are you actually going to do?" asked Kagura with her stoic face.

"Nothing much, maybe blow up their guild hall and make sure that they never mess with Fairy Tail again." replied Natsu nonchalantly.

"Isn't that a little extreme Natsu." said Meredy with a grin.

"Not at all Meredy, they made threats against my family so they are lucky that I am only going to beat up their Master like they tried to do to ours." stated Natsu as they came up to the guild hall of Twilight Ogre, which in Natsu's opinion looked terrible but it really didn't matter since he planned to get rid of it soon.

"Won't that kill some of their members." stated Kagura who didn't want Natsu to become a dark mage over something so minor.

"Don't worry no one is going to die, so just wait out here for the next ten minutes which should be more than enough time for me." said Natsu as he cracked his neck and then went into Twilight Ogre's guild hall.

"He's going to be alright won't he?" asked Meredy with a concerned look on her face.

"Of course he is Meredy, after taking on five drakes this is going to be a piece of cake for him." said Ultear with a big smile. And they just stood there without saying anything for a minute waiting for something to happen to signal that Natsu was getting his point across, which came when they heard a roar as a giant flame exploded from the top of the guild and continued into the sky.

"Natsu always has to make a show out of everything doesn't he?" asked Kagura with a small smile as members from Twilight Ogre came out of the guild scream and running for their lives.

"He wouldn't be our Natsu if he didn't." replied Meredy as she started to laugh at all of the Twilight Ogre members running away with no sign of stopping anytime soon after what they just saw.

 **Back with Natsu as he entered Twilight Ogre:**

"What can I do for you Sir?" asked one of the guild's barmaids.

"I would like to speak with your guild Master." replied Natsu with a kind smile.

"About what if I might ask?" asked the barmaid.

"It concerns Fairy Tail so I am confident that he will want to talk with me." answered Natsu still being pleasant.

"Just one moment and I'll go get him for you." said the barmaid as she smiled at him and then went to go get the Master. All of the other members were now looking at Natsu who was standing in the middle of the guild with a now smug look on his face.

"Hey were have I seen you before?" asked one of the members.

"Probably in the news, I used to be in there a lot for destroying pretty much everything over half a year ago." replied Natsu as his smug look only got bigger.

"No I know you from something more recent." said the member as he scratched his head.

"Oh that is probably from one of the articles about the drakes that have been showing up recently." said Natsu just as the Master took his seat that looked like a thrown in front of the whole guild.

"So I hear you're here about Fairy Tail, if you are wanting to get in on takin them down while they are weak then I am willing to listen to you." said Master Banaboster.

"HAHAHAHAHA while we're weak, I think that you idiots need to do a little more research before you try and takeover another guild. When you guys moved in here two months ago I was okay with Magnolia having two guilds thinking that we could possibly work together to make the town a better place to live." said Natsu as he took of his jacket which exposed his guild mark to all of Twilight Ogre.

"What's your name boy so I can tell that weak guild of yours who we sent to the hospital." said Master Banaboster while chuckling.

"The names Natsu Dragneel but I am sure that you probably all know me as the Salamander, and I would ask you what all of your names are but that would take too long." said Natsu as he coated himself in fire and increased the temperature in the guild so quickly that everyone was starting to sweat.

"So instead of beating the living shit out of everyone in here I am going to settle with doing that just to you Banaboster since you are their terrible Master. And after I am done with that I don't want to see another Twilight Ogre mage ever again in Magnolia otherwise they'll get exactly what I am going to do to you but worse, **FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!** " shouted Natsu as he unleashed it upwards and blasted a whole easily through their roof. This instantly caused all the members of Twilight Ogre to panic and take off out of their guild running for their lives from Natsu who only showed them half of his power which was still enough to make all of them know that they didn't want him to be their enemy.

"Where do you think you're going Master Banaboster?" asked Natsu as he grabbed him while still on fire and threw him against a wall.

"You're a monster!" shouted Banaboster as he tried to get away from Natsu who was still completely covered in flames.

"Yes I am and you just made an enemy out of me since you tried to mess with Fairy Tail!" shouted Natsu as he picked him up and punched him in the face and then threw him into the wall on the other side of the guild.

"You can't do this to me, the Council doesn't allow Guild's to fight each other." shouted Banaboster as he stood up as Natsu came up to him.

"You're right." replied Natsu as he punched Banaboster in the face which launched him through the wall of the guild and into the streets.

"Your guild is going to get disbanded because of this!" shouted Banaboster as he spit out blood and a tooth.

"That's where you're wrong Banaboster, this is Fairy Tail's response to your members coming to our guild and attacking our Master first. So in the eyes of the Council this is completely legal and if anyone's guild is going to get disbanded it's going to be yours. Also it isn't a war since I already caused all of your members to run away and I really doubt that they are ever going to come back to a guild whose Master would be dumb enough to try and take on the number one guild in Fiore!" shouted Natsu as he continued to punch Banaboster and then finally threw him back through another part of his guild's wall so he was once again inside of his guild.

"Please stop, I didn't tell them to attack you." said Banaboster as he lay crumpled up against a tipped over table.

"It doesn't matter Banaboster, they were your mages and you told them to come to Fairy Tail and harass us. They were trash talking Fairy Tail and saying that you guys were soon going to be getting rid of us, meaning that it was only a matter of time before you did send them there to actually attack!" shouted Natsu as he punched him a few more time and then threw Banaboster into the ceiling that was still there.

"It'll never happen again I swear, just please stop." begged Banaboster as Natsu came back over top of him with a grin on his face.

"I know it won't Banaboster because if the Council doesn't shut down Twilight Ogre, then you are going to otherwise I am going to pay you another visit and next time I won't be holding myself back." growled Natsu as he held Banaboster by his throat. Banaboster was in too much pain to respond and also scared since Natsu just told him that he was holding back right now.

"Do you understand Banaboster?" asked Natsu as he glared at the man he was holding.

"Yes Salamander." chocked out Banaboster who was then promptly thrown through the front doors of his guild and slid until he was right in front of the rest of Natsu's group.

"Help me, Salamander has gone crazy." said Banaboster who was too beat up to get up.

"We happen to be mages of Fairy Tail Master Banaboster." stated Ultear with a big smirk as she watched the look of dread come across Banaboster's face.

"You are lucky that Natsu was holding back." stated Kagura with her own grin since that caused Banaboster to start shaking in fear.

"Master Banaboster you might want to turn around and watch this, I am pretty sure it's going to be something that you want to see." said Meredy with a big grin.

"Crap, he isn't going to do that is he?" asked Ultear.

"I think he is, it's going to be awesome to see him do it with a building around him." cheered Meredy causing Banaboster to actually become curious at what the Salamander was going to do.

"Don't worry I'll make sure that its contained." said Kagura as she started to use her magic.

 **"FIRE DRAGON'S IMPLOSION!"** could be heard being shouted from the inside of Twilight Ogre's guild hall. Then the next second there was a huge explosion that destroyed the guild hall completely sending debris in all directions that rather than damaging any of the nearby buildings they all fell to the ground. This was thanks to Kagura using her gravity magic around the guild, which once they all finally fell down to the ground they actually made a nice circle of debris around were the guild hall of Twilight Ogre once stood. Natsu Dragneel now stood in the center where there used to be a building with a big grin on his face as he looked at his friends that came with him.

"So how did it look?" asked Natsu as he strolled up to them.

"It was awesome Natsu!" cheered Meredy as she hugged him.

"It was that cool that you needed to give me a hug?" asked Natsu with a grin.

"It sure was." replied Meredy with a big grin on her face.

"Now who's acting like a weirdo." said Natsu with a chuckle.

"What do you expect to happen to me if I am always with you and Ultear." refuted Meredy with a big grin.

"I guess you have a point there Meredy, so I think I am now going to go and do that shopping I was talking about. Who wants to come along with me?" asked Natsu with a smile.

"I do." said all three of them at the same time.

"Alright, oh and Banaboster remember our little talk." said Natsu as he grinned at the Master of Twilight Ogre and then walked off with the rest of his group heading to the market distract of Magnolia. Banaboster decided right then and there that he was never going to say or do anything against Fairy Tail ever again since he never wanted to be on the bad side of Salamander

"So what are you looking to buy Natsu?" asked Ultear as she hooked arms with him.

"I have actually been looking for a skilled black smith, and for some reason I didn't look in Magnolia right away. But I just learned that one of the best in Fiore actually set up shop here because it was more convenient for both him and Erza. He did this since Erza was his best customer and would only take her weapons to him if there was ever a problem that she couldn't take care of by herself." explained Natsu with a grin as they continued to walk.

"Are you going to finally get your own sword?" asked Kagura with a big smile.

"Yep, along with a few other things hopefully, but every other blacksmith that I talked with couldn't do what I wanted." answered Natsu.

"What are the other things?" asked Meredy excitedly.

"Why couldn't the other blacksmiths do what you wanted Natsu?" asked Ultear right after Meredy.

"I'll answer Ultear's question first because it's shorter." said Natsu causing Meredy to start pouting.

"The reason that no other blacksmith has been able to what I wanted was because none of them could do anything with these." said Natsu as he re-equipped a drake's claw, tooth and patch of scales.

"Are those from the drakes that you've killed?" asked Kagura with wide eyes.

"Yep and I was thinking that since drakes and other dragons can claw and bite each other and cause damage. Then why couldn't we use them to do the same thing, because I am really not comfortable with me being the only thing stopping them from hurting people. So if I can get the rest of Fairy Tail equipped with weapons that can deal damage to drakes then I will feel a lot better." replied Natsu with a small grin.

"That would be very useful if it works Natsu." said Ultear with a proud grin that he thought up of this and was still thinking about other things that could help Fairy Tail.

"What did you plan to do with the scales?" asked Meredy.

"Oh I was wondering if they could make armor or clothing out of them, I mean Igneel made this scarf for me out of his own scales." answered Natsu as he motioned to his scarf.

"That's made out of scales, but it looks like it's really soft?" questioned Meredy as she then touched it for herself to see how it feels.

"It is Meredy, which is why I know that what I want done is possible. I just haven't found the right people." said Natsu with a grin as put all of components back away into his pocket dimension.

"What if it needs dragon slayer magic to be worked with." suggested Ultear with a grin.

"Oh my god how could I have been so stupid." replied Natsu as he hit himself on the forehead.

"Why would that matter?" asked Kagura with a confused expression.

"That is because the only way to deal damage to a drake or dragon is with dragon slayer magic. So it would make sense that the only way to be able to manipulate or work with their claws or scales would also require a dragon slayer's magic to help them do whatever they wanted to with them." explained Natsu with a big grin.

"I guess that makes sense." stated Kagura with a grin.

"So what were the other things that you wanted to buy Natsu?" asked Meredy who had the feeling that Natsu already forgot about her question.

"Well if he can actually work with these drake components, then a few more weapons. I would also want some new clothes made from the scales if possible. But the big things that I was thinking about buying were the materials for us to build a training area behind Fairy Tail, with an arena for fighting of course." said Natsu with a big smile.

"Wow really?" asked Meredy with a big grin.

"Yep and I was hoping that you could all help me figure out everything that we want to be in this training area. Since you guys have been helping me with training all of the members and I am pretty sure that you know what would be a good idea to have in it." replied Natsu with a bigger smile than before.

"Oh I know exactly what we need to help them with their physical training." cheered Meredy.

"I also have a few ideas." stated Ultear with a grin.

"Is this going to be an outdoor facility?" asked Kagura.

"I didn't even think about having it indoors." replied Natsu as he scratched the back of his head.

"Why not do both." suggested Meredy with a big smile.

"Even a better idea Meredy, but I think we'll make the indoor one a little smaller since we're going to have to build the actual building as well." said Natsu as they came up to the blacksmith's shop that he had been looking for.

"How may I help you fine folk today?" asked the blacksmith.

"Are you Cid the blacksmith?" asked Natsu with a smile.

"Why yes I am Mr…?" replied the blacksmith now identified as Cid.

"I am Natsu Dragneel, and from what I heard you are one of the best blacksmiths in the country and that Erza only comes to you if she wants anything." said Natsu still smiling.

"Oh my, you're the Salamander, and the one that Erza was always complaining about?" asked Cid with his mouth now open wide.

"Yep the one and only." answered Natsu with a big grin.

"I have heard a lot about you Natsu, and I am so sorry to hear what happened to all of them." said Cid with a frown on his face.

"Oh I guess you don't know since you aren't part of Fairy Tail, but they didn't die Cid. I don't know where they are but I know that they are still out there and mark my words one day in the future Erza is going to walk through your doors again wanting you to make or fix something for her." said Natsu with a big grin.

"Are you serious?" asked Cid who now looked at Natsu with a big smile.

"Of course I am Cid, I would never joke around about something this serious." said Natsu who was then brought into a big hug by Cid who was a beast of a man. If he was standing next to Elfman, then Elfman would look small by comparison, Cid also had a full black beard and was bald on top.

"You don't know how happy you just made me Natsu. Erza was a great girl who over the years I started to see as the daughter that I never had on the account of me never getting married." said Cid as he started to chuckle as he set Natsu back down.

"Well I am glad that I could tell you that Cid, and when they come back I will make sure to stop by and let you know so you can join in on their welcome back party." said Natsu with a big grin.

"That would be very much appreciated Natsu, so what can I do for you since I assume that you didn't come here to tell me just that?" asked Cid with his own big grin.

"I would have come sooner but Erza never told me about you, probably because she was afraid that I might ruin your store." said Natsu as he started to laugh.

"From what she told me about you Natsu, I am pretty sure that is why she didn't." said Cid as he joined in on the laughter.

"Well just so you know I have gained a little more self-control than I had before. So what I was wondering was if you could use these items to make me some weapons and armor or clothing?" asked Natsu as he took out his drake components so Cid can look them over.

"Glad to hear that Natsu, as for making clothing I can't actually do any of that stuff since I only deal with metal. Also can I ask were you got all of this, because I have never seen anything like them?" asked Cid as felt the scales between his fingers while holding one of the claws.

"They're from the drakes that I have been killing over the last six months." answered Natsu causing Cid's eyes and mouth to widen in shock.

"Are you serious?" asked Cid in complete disbelief.

"Yep and I was really hoping that you would be able to do something with them since everyone else I have talked to couldn't do anything." answered Natsu.

"That doesn't surprise me at all Natsu, and I really don't know if I will be able to do anything either." stated Cid with a frown.

"Darn I was really hoping that you could." said Natsu.

"Natsu did you already forget what we talked about earlier?" asked Ultear with a disappointed look on her face.

"Oh man I can't believe I already forgot about that, I just got so wrapped up with telling Cid the good news. So Cid, Ultear and I were thinking that you might need my magic to actually be able to do anything with this material since dragon slayers are the only people that can actually hurt drakes or dragons. Do you think that if I helped you out that we might be able to do something with them?" asked Natsu with a hopeful expression.

"That would make sense if you thought about it. So yea I think that I might be able to do something if you're here to help me. But I wouldn't mind trying without you and if I can't then I would love to try again with your help." said Cid with a big grin.

"I am fine with that Cid and just call up to Fairy Tail if you need me. Oh and I don't want to be a bother so we can do that when you aren't busy." stated Natsu with a big grin.

"This would be an honor Natsu; if we can actually do something with this I would be the first blacksmith to do anything with drake claws or scales for who knows how long. I might actually be the first one ever to do something like this, and that alone is enough for me to want to do this whenever it works best for you Natsu." replied Cid still grinning at Natsu.

"Well if that's the case then I will swing by some nights whenever I have free time, if that is okay with you." said Natsu.

"That will be more than okay with me Natsu, and if you are looking for someone who could possibly make clothing out of the scales. I know one of the best tailors and leather smiths in all of Fiore, and I could ask her if they would be interested in trying to make something with you?" asked Cid as he played with one of the claws.

"That would be great Cid, I would really appreciate that if you could introduce us to each other." replied Natsu with a huge grin and couldn't be happier with how this all turned out.

"I will get right on that for you Natsu, unless there is something else you want?" asked Cid.

"Nope, that is all Cid and I will be leaving now so you can start experimenting on that stuff." said Natsu as he waved good bye and left the store.

"Are you going to have anytime to sleep Natsu?" asked Meredy with a big grin.

"Yes because I think that we are going to shorten how long our training sessions are so I can put in some time with Cid and possibly that other women that he knows." answered Natsu as they set off to go and buy supplies and other things that they would need for making their training area.

 **Three hours later at Fairy Tail:**

"Man that was way too much shopping for me." said Natsu as he came into the guild with a grin.

"I could have continued for a few more hours." stated Ultear with a grin of her own.

"Me too." said Meredy with a big grin.

"I am going to have to agree with Natsu on this one." said Kagura who looked like she was bored beyond belief from all of the shopping.

"Natsu!" shouted Macao from the second level.

"Yes Master Macao?" asked Natsu with a big grin.

"You didn't have to completely level their guild you know." shouted Macao with an angry expression.

"Yes I did Master Macao; otherwise it wouldn't have been a message to everyone else out there. That Fairy Tail is not to be messed with, unless you want to lose what you care about." replied Natsu still grinning up at him.

"Well the Council and Mayor aren't very happy about it." stated Macao as he glared at Natsu.

"The Council can't do anything since I didn't start a war or anything and Twilight Ogre were the ones to actually start it. As for the Mayor, why is he mad at us?" asked Natsu while tracing his scars on his face.

"The Mayor's mad since the town is no longer going to get paid by Twilight Ogre since they are no longer going to be here. And it is also going to be hard to sell that vacant lot since it no longer has anything on it." explained Macao.

"Oh if that's the case then just tell the Mayor that I'll buy that property." said Natsu as he sat down at the bar.

"Wait, did you just say that you'll buy it?" asked Wakaba who was right next to Natsu at the bar.

"That is exactly what I said, why is there a problem with that?" asked Natsu as he stared at Wakaba with an expressionless face.

"No not at all Natsu, I was just wondering what you would do with it." stated Wakaba with a small smile.

"I haven't thought that far ahead yet Wakaba, but I am sure I'll come up with something sooner or later." replied Natsu with a huge grin.

"If you don't have any plans for it then way are you buying it Natsu?" asked Kei who came up to the bar.

"Because we don't want the Mayor getting mad at us, and this sounded like the best way to achieve that without me having to apologize or doing who knows what else. Because as long as the town still gets its jewels the Mayor will be happy, and thanks Kinana." explained Natsu as Kinana gave him his usual order.

"You're welcome Nasu." replied Kinana with a smile and went to give a different member their order.

"You're definitely right on that one Natsu, but I really don't want you to start making a habit of doing this." stated Macao as he came down to sit with them at the bar.

"Yes Master Macao." replied Natsu in a dreary tone and then went back to eating.

"So how did it go with those Twilight Ogre mages?" asked Meredy with a big grin.

"It was actually really boring, they were all too scared to fight back." replied Kei with a frown because she really wanted to see how she was compared to a mage from a different guild.

"Well what Natsu did to their guild was awesome; I wish you could have seen it. And their members took off and it looked like they were never going to come back." said Meredy with a big grin.

"That's because they won't be Meredy, Twilight Ogre is no longer a guild." stated Natsu with a grin.

"No wonder the Council was so mad." stated Macao as he glared at Natsu.

"You know that they were pretty much just a gang that was going to prey on the weak Macao, so I did Fiore a favor by getting rid of them." stated Natsu shocking the guild once again by him doing something outrageous again.

"Hey I am all for it Natsu, it just explains why the Council was more upset than I thought they would be." replied Macao with a small grin.

"Oh Kei if you wanted to see what Meredy was talking about I recorded it." said Ultear with a big grin as she then showed it to all of the guild, which got most of them to laugh at the members of Twilight Ogre running away. But when it got to the part where Natsu obliterated the building like it was nothing they all just thought how strong was the pink haired dragon slayer who was laughing at watching his own destruction which was actually a first for him.

"Is Natsu Dragneel here?" asked a deliveryman who was in their door way.

"Yes I am, and I assume you were wondering where to put all of it?" asked Natsu with a grin while he continued to sit at the bar.

"Yes Mr. Dragneel." replied the deliveryman.

"Just stack it all behind this building then you're free to go." said Natsu still grinning at the man.

"Will do Mr. Dragneel and thanks for your business." said the deliveryman as he then exited the guild.

"What in the world did you buy Natsu?" asked Macao with a slightly angry tone.

"Something that I think that the guild needs Master Macao." replied Natsu with a big smile.

"Natsu, tell me what you bought right now." demanded Macao as he glared at Natsu.

"That would take a while Master Macao, it would be easier if we just went out and looked at all of it." said Natsu as he got up and then headed out the back door of the guild with the rest of the guild following. When they got out there the guild was surprised to see piles of materials and a wide assortment of other things with more being brought in.

"What in the world did you buy Natsu?" asked Laki as she eyed all of the things.

"I already said that it would take a while to go through it all." replied Natsu with a smug grin.

"That was an understatement." said Wakaba as he let out a low whistle.

"What is this all for Natsu?" asked Macao who looked like he might explode.

"I decided that we should build a training facility to help out with all of the training that we've been doing. So with the help of my team we got everything that we would need for building it and a little more just in case." answered Natsu still having that smug grin on his face.

"And you decided to do all of this without asking me?" asked Macao who was glaring at Natsu.

"Yes I did Master Macao and instead of getting angry at me you should be thanking me." replied Natsu.

"Thanking you, why would I do that when you did this without asking me." shouted Macao as he motioned at the building material.

"Because I paid for all of this by myself." shouted Natsu as he and Macao got into an argument causing everyone else to start laughing at the two who seemed to be doing this more often than they should. But no one cared since they were always smiling by the end of their argument after reaching some sort of agreement that usually was Macao just telling Natsu to not do it again.

 **End of Chapter**

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. So this chapter didn't have too much action in it but somethings did happen and it let you know how things were going for Fairy Tail. I have a few ideas of what Natsu is going to do with his new property but I would love to hear your ideas and possibly use one of them if I really liked it. Well that is it for this author's note so as always feel free to leave me a review and I will try to respond back to you.**

 **Until the next Chapter**

 **Digem Out!**


	8. No Rest for the Slayer

Ch 8: No Rest for the Slayer

 **One month later:**

It took all of Fairy Tail a whole month to build Natsu and his group's training facility. The reason that it took so long was due to the fact that they still put in three hours or more of training in each day, while still doing jobs. Not to mention that Natsu would always have to leave early so that he could go and help Cid with trying to make weapons with the drake teeth and claws. As soon as Natsu left pretty much everyone else would stop and go enjoy themselves in the guild and get some well-deserved rest, which really slowed down the building of it.

The training facility was quite impressive, once it was completed. The physical training section actually had two different parts, three if you count the one that was in their new building. There was the obstacle course that Meredy designed which made whoever run it do almost everything you could think of, and it would also make you work a different part of your body each time you completed a task and moved onto a new one. The next part was an outdoor weight lifting area that could have twenty people easily working out together, while the weight lifting one inside of the building could only accommodate ten before it became too crowded.

The hand to hand combat section was by far the most expensive part of the whole facility since Ultear had big ideas of what she wanted it to do. Ultear had specially designed training dummies of different shapes and sizes that she could easily manipulate with her magic. The reason for all of the different sizes of the dummies was because not every person you are going to be fighting is going to be the same size so you need to learn how to fight against them differently since their style will be different than your average person. Ultear had the outdoor part be able to have fifty people training at once, while the one inside could only have ten.

But there was a special one in the building that was really expensive since it could move without Ultear being there and could actually mimic someone's fighting style if it scanned someone's moves. This allowed members of Fairy Tail to be able to practice on their own if there was no one else around or if they wanted to see if they could land a hit on the dummy version of Natsu, because his moves were of course the first ones scanned. And even though Natsu usually goes on the offense in all fights he still has a very tough defense that if you don't get through it he would counter you and hit back hard.

Another addition to the training facility was a small target range set up inside of the building that could only have two persons using it at once. While the one that they had outside could have twenty mages using it, and it was also quite elaborate if you didn't want to use the stationary targets. It could launch discs in the air in random areas quite rapidly for the more experienced mages. Not only that but it had a whole bunch of moving targets that went sideways or back and forth anything that would make hitting them harder, while also having the possibility to flipping down and no longer being a target if you were too slow. This part was only made because of Kagura's suggestion and with the design from Bisca and Alzack who were the best marksmen of Fairy Tail.

And the final part of the facility was the fighting arena that just so happened to be Natsu's favorite part, which inside the building was only a small boxing ring. But the one outside was a quite a bit more extravagant, since it had seats for over two hundred people to watch the battles with retractable awnings over the top of them in case it rains or you don't want to be out in the sun. The arena was an octagon that was dug into the ground about ten feet, with reinforced walls going up fifteen, where the seats were positioned.

This was all that Natsu was going to have for the arena because he likes things simple if they can be, but of course Ultear wanted to add a few more things to improve it. Things such as adding protective runes in front of the seats that completely encased the arena, that were powered off of the spectators. Ultear also added some recording lacrimas into the arena so that if they wanted to they could broadcast the fights in the guild or they could also just watch them later on to analyze them for simple mistakes that the fighters might have made.

As for Natsu's side projects with Cid the blacksmith, so far they haven't made a good weapon, but both of them knew that it was only a matter of time until they got it just right. Unfortunately for Natsu once they got that it would probably take another month of work to get it to Cid's standards if they kept the schedule that they had right now. Cid's friend that could possibly be able to turn the scales into clothing or hard leather was unfortunately busy and was going to stay that way for the next month. But Cid informed Natsu that as soon as she was done with that she was going to pack up her things and be on her way to Magnolia as soon as possible.

As for the training of Fairy Tail's members, they were still all growing in skill and power but of course it was nowhere near as fast as when they focused on just that for three months. But now that they had their training facility up and going Natsu was confident that they would be able to train better and even do it without him there because he was getting the itch to go and do some jobs. And today was the perfect day to go and get some since he was taking today off since they just finished building yesterday and if Natsu was honest he really needed a day to just sit back and relax. Even if a lot of the other members didn't want him to since they wanted to train with him.

"Jet for the tenth time today, I will not be sparing with anyone today since I too need a day off every once in a while." said Natsu as he had his back against the bar counter while sitting on one of the stools.

"But come on Natsu, you're the only one that can keep up with me." said Jet whose only change to his outfit was him losing that ridiculous hat of his.

"What about the new guy, what's his name again Krish something." said Natsu as he played with the scars on his face.

"That would be Krish Darklight, Natsu. And from what I can tell he's actually faster than you Jet." said Macao as he sat down next to Natsu which was odd since they were usually filled by the women that usually follow Natsu everywhere he goes. Which actually got a new member that didn't surprise anyone in the guild since Kei really looked up to Natsu and Ultear, and was always training with them.

"Even if that was true, which it isn't, he can't maintain that speed as long as I can. Also Krish doesn't have reflexes that are quick enough to make those speeds practical, so please Natsu will you spar with me?" asked Jet who tried to do the puppy dog eyes on Natsu which had the opposite effect that he wanted.

"Don't ever make that face at me again Jet and can't you take a hint that today is my day off. Besides the arena is in use right now Jet, and as for Krish not being able to maintain that speed, that is because of his magic." said Natsu as he turned on their new lacrima screens in the middle of the guild that showed Kagura training a random guild member in Natsu's place.

"So that is where they are all at." stated Macao with a big grin, finally figuring out that Natsu's group were still training other members today even if Natsu wasn't.

"What do you mean that it's Krish's magic?" asked Jet who was confused by that statement because of course it was Krish's magic.

"Oh I guess I shouldn't be too surprised that you don't know this since I just learned about it only a few months ago. But for all slayers it takes a lot more magic to do a simple spell when compared to other mages, but it's the price we have to pay to have some of the strongest magic out there. It's one of the reasons that I have always been training, even though I didn't know that fact I still knew that I needed more stamina and overall magic." explained Natsu with a grin.

"Wait how does that apply to Krish at all since he's just a normal light mage?" asked Jet who was still confused.

"Krish is not a simple light mage; he is actually a Light God Slayer. But he didn't think that anyone would believe him about it and didn't want to have to live up to the expectations that would come along with being a slayer thanks to Natsu. So we decided that Krish might as well keep it a secret as long as he wants to, that is until realizes that those two thoughts of his are not going to happen here at Fairy Tail. Only a few members know of this Jet so please keep this to yourself until Krish is more comfortable here." explained Macao with a soft smile.

"Shit, I didn't even know that there were other types of slayers out there." said Jet as she shook his head.

"There are even more than dragon and god slayers Jet, but they are just as rare as the those two maybe even rarer since some of the beings that have to teach them. Aren't very fond of humans, and it's almost impossible to learn without them actually teaching you." said Natsu as he watched Kagura easily defeat two other members.

"How do you know so much about this stuff Natsu?" asked Macao with Jet also wondering as well.

"I have been doing a lot of research lately with my free time and Ultear has also been helping me look into slayers as well." stated Natsu while not taking his eyes off of the fight being displayed on the screen.

"What other types are there?" asked Jet.

"In theory as many as there are of other magical beings out there, all they have to do is teach their magic to a human and that would then make them their slayer. But like I said before a lot of these magical beings are not fond of the idea of teaching someone how to kill their kind, which is a reason for them being so rare." explained Natsu as he order some fire whisky.

"So you're telling me that Krish Darklight, the guy with short black hair that is spiky in the front. Has the black eyes that match all of the other black that he wears, like his black hoodie that he always wears open with nothing underneath and also has the leaves rolled up. Who also happens to have black pants with a silver chain going to his right pocket. The only other color that he seems to wear is blue since that is the color of his shoes. Was trained by a Light God?" asked Jet in disbelief.

"Yep, and he also only got one thing to remember his parent by just like me. But rather than getting a scarf Krish got that silver necklace with a light always coming from it, so don't mess with it or you'll have to deal with a pissed off me and Krish." warned Natsu as he glared at Jet.

"I wouldn't dream of that Natsu, especially after seeing what you do to people who mess with your scarf." said Jet as he gulped in slight fear of pissing off Natsu.

"Also Jet, why don't you help Krish with his reflexes because I can remember just a little bit ago when you were the same way. And it would be great if we had another person who could join us in our fights other than Kagura who usually doesn't want to participate." suggested Natsu.

"I guess you do have a point there Natsu, and the kid is pretty fast. So it wouldn't be such a bad idea to give him a few pointers and train with him a bit, so I don't get used to fighting just you Natsu." stated Jet with a smirk.

"Jet you do know that Krish is eighteen which makes you just a year older than him." pointed out Macao with a big grin.

"So what Master Macao, Natsu's only a year older than me." stated Jet.

"And have I ever called you kid?" asked Natsu with a knowing look.

"Nope because that would be stupid." replied Jet who then realized what the two of them were trying to get at.

"Okay I get it I won't call Krish a kid, even though he just recently joined us." said Jet as he left Macao and Natsu who were laughing together at the bar, so that he could start training Krish's reflexes.

"Natsu I think that you getting hurt before the S-Class exams might have been a blessing in disguise." said Macao after the two of them stopped laughing.

"I am going to have to disagree with you on that one Macao, because if I didn't get hurt than I could have been fighting with them right away and they would all be here right now." said Natsu with a guilty frown on his face.

"Or what would have most likely happened would have been you actually dying to Acnologia or possibly you disappearing with the rest of them. Which would have made us all believe that you all died, and I really don't know if Fairy Tail would have kept going like it is now." stated Macao with a serious face.

"What are you talking about Macao? This is all happening because of you and everyone else trying their hardest. All I have done is give them a little training which anyone else could have done, and buying all of that training stuff is nothing to be proud of." replied Natsu still having a frown on his face as he traced his three scars that he got because of his failure that day.

"Natsu you did way more than that and you know it. You were able to motivate everyone to keep moving forward Natsu, when we all would have succumbed to the grief from losing the Tenrou group. Not only that but you've also gotten the Council to stop hounding us over the little things and let's not forget that you also dealt with Twilight Ogre. I am certain that if you weren't here Natsu they would have walked all over us, so stop putting yourself down Natsu. I am confident that Master Makarov and Gildarts will be proud to hear all that you've done in their absence." said Macao with a proud expression.

"Do you really think that Master Macao?" asked Natsu as he now had an expressionless face.

"I know that Natsu, not only them but the entire Tenrou group would be proud of what you've done. So don't think about how you couldn't stop them from leaving for a bit and think about all the good that you've already done for Fairy Tail." replied Macao with the same grin.

"Thanks Master Macao, it really means a lot to hear you say that to me. But now since I am no longer getting pestered by anyone I think I am going to go get some reading in." stated Natsu with a big grin as he re-equipped his dragon slayer book and started to read.

"That is one thing that I will never get used to seeing." said Macao with a big grin.

"Oh come on Master Macao, tons of mages can use multiple types of magic." replied Natsu as he didn't look up from his book.

"I wasn't talking about that Natsu, I was talking about seeing you actually reading a book. And not just any book but one that no one else can read and is enormous with barely any pictures in it." said Macao with a big smirk.

"Shut up TM Macao." replied Natsu with a big grin, knowing that Macao hated that more than anything else because Wakaba came up with it.

"Natsu don't you dare start calling me by that." said Macao in an angry tone.

"I won't Master Macao if you don't take jabs at my intelligence." stated Natsu as he continued to read which seemed to satisfy Macao because he let Natsu read in peace after that.

 **Three hours later:**

"Do you think Natsu will come out and train with us now?" asked Kei with a big smile.

"Sorry Kei but as I keep telling everyone this is my day off." stated Natsu who was now reading in the rafters of the main room.

"But why Natsu?" asked Meredy who was now right beside Kei and looking up at him.

"Because I have for the last four months had absolutely no down time. As soon as I woke up I started training with Kei and Kagura which was then followed up by training everyone else that wanted to. And then I would end the day with reading this book here until I had to fall asleep. And the last month I decided to throw in working with Cid and building the training grounds while still doing everything else. So I truly need just a little time off otherwise I might actually go crazier than I already am." ranted Natsu from his perch in the rafters.

"And that is why I am going to keep everyone from asking you to join us for the rest of the day Natsu." said Ultear with a big smile as she then gave the guild an intimidating glare.

"Thanks Ultear, you're the best." said Natsu as he then went back to reading.

"What's that book Natsu is always reading?" asked Kei as the rest of the guild quieted down to hear the answer.

"It's about dragons and dragon slayers." replied Natsu from the rafters.

"I keep forgetting that he can hear everything in the main room." said Kei.

"He can also smell everything as well." stated Meredy with a big grin.

"Really, his nose is that good?" asked Kei.

"Yep, Natsu can track someone from their scent alone and they could be miles away. And he would still be able to find them as long as they didn't do anything to cover up their scent." answered Meredy with knowing smile.

"How about we try and talk about something that isn't Natsu while he's trying to read above us." suggested Ultear.

"Okay, but what else are we going to talk about?" asked Meredy with a small frown.

"How about the Rune Knight that just appeared." suggested Kagura with a bored expression on her face as Doranbolt was now in the middle of the guild hall.

"I can't even take one lousy day off can I?" Natsu asked no one specific as he put away his book and dropped from the rafters right in front of Doranbolt.

"So what element is it this time?" asked Natsu with a small frown.

"No time Natsu." replied Doranbolt as he grabbed Natsu and teleported away.

"Well that is different than how it normally goes." said Macao with a small frown.

"How does it normally go, and what is actually going on?" asked Krish who hadn't been at Fairy Tail long enough for him to see Natsu going out to hunt drakes.

"Natsu's going to most likely kill another drake." said Meredy with a frown.

"And usually when Doranbolt comes to get him they talk for a bit, but since they didn't do that this time I can only assume that something bad is happening." said Ultear as she also had a prominent frown.

"What could be worse than a drake showing up?" asked Kagura.

"That would be it showing up in a town or village before Natsu gets there." replied Macao who could only hope that Natsu would be alright and not blame himself for anything that was happening.

 **With Natsu:**

"We'll this makes sense now Doranbolt, evacuate anyone that is still here!" said Natsu as he charged into the destroyed town. That now had huge chunks of ice smashed through buildings or actual icebergs exploding from the ground and causing mass damage that actually made what Natsu use to do look tame by comparison.

Natsu could already smell the stench of death in the air which was usually accompanied by the smell of fresh blood which there was tons of in this town. As he quickly followed the path of destruction Natsu couldn't help but notice the bodies strewn about that were never going to get to enjoy another day in their lives because they were all senselessly cut short.

Seeing this caused Natsu's anger to reach heights that he didn't even know were possible and because of that he didn't notice that the ice that he kept running past was now melting at a fast pace. All that Natsu could think about right now was stopping this drake before it could kill anyone else not even thinking about trying to have a conversation after what it's already done.

As Natsu rounded the next corner he came upon a scene that he would have never guessed to come across in his entire life. There in the wreckage of a house stood a full grown drake that was a deep blue with its accent color being a mixture of white and blue that actually looked similar to the ice that it was obviously leaving in its wake. But what Natsu never expected to see was a blonde haired boy, who could only be thirteen at the most, facing off against the drake with a very determined look on his face as he stood in front of a black haired boy that was protecting two small cats from an attack that obviously caused him a lot of pain.

 **Moments earlier with the two boys:**

"Rogue are you alright?" asked the blonde haired boy after he watched his friend take on a blast of ice so that their Exceeds didn't die.

"I'm fine Sting, but I don't think I'll be able to help much now." replied rogue as he coughed up a little blood but couldn't help but smile at their two exceeds that were crying into his chest.

"How are Lector and Frosch?" asked Sting as he skidded to a stop now in between his friends and the ice drake.

"They're fine Sting, but how are you going to keep fighting with a broken arm?" asked Rogue who once again coughed up some more blood, making him realize that he was in worse shape than he thought.

"I don't know Rogue but I am not going to let anything bad happen to you guys!" shouted Sting as he charged up his magic into his left hand since he broke his right arm when blocking the tail of the ice drake earlier. After Sting said that they then heard what sounded like thunder or possibly boulders tumbling down a cliff coming from the drake as it eyed them with an amused expression.

"Are you laughing at us?" asked Sting who was now seething in anger.

"Why yes I am slayers, because I find your last comment amusing since you won't even be able to protect yourself." chuckled the ice drake.

"I can too!" shouted Sting as he got into the best fighting stance that he could with one arm being completely useless.

"You definitely have the spirit of a dragon and your parents would be proud that you fought to your last breath. But I am here to find the slayer responsible for stopping all of our scouts which was most definitely not you two, since one of our hatchlings could have easily gotten rid of both of you without trying." said the drake as he started to do his deep laugh again.

"We aren't the Salamander but we won't let you get away with what you did here today drake!" shouted Sting as he quickly wiped away some blood off of his face that came from the cut above his right eye with the back of his left hand.

"So he goes by the name Salamander, very interesting young slayer but I think that it is time for me to stop playing with you and finally finish this." said the drake as he licked his teeth while eyeing Sting.

 **"FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!"** was heard from Sting's left side and before Sting or the ice drake could even look that direction, the ice drake was hit on his right side by a stream of fire that actually launched him into a nearby building.

"All I wanted to do today was sit at my guild and quietly read to myself without any disturbances!" shouted Natsu as he walked into the clearing that the ice drake had made while trying to kill the two boys and their cats.

"Sting what just happened?" asked Rogue who couldn't move because of the pain.

"Salamander came." replied Sting with a huge smile as he looked at his hero walking towards him.

"So you're the one that has been dealing with the drakes that have been coming here." stated the ice drake as he pulled himself out of the now destroyed building.

"Yep and usually I would be trying to end this peacefully, but that isn't an option after witnessing your handy work while I made my way here." growled Natsu as he walked past Sting and glared at the ice drake.

"Why on earth would you do a thing like that Salamander?" asked the ice drake who was clearly enjoying this situation.

"Because all life is precious, but I can already tell that you don't think that way. So why don't we just jump to the good stuff right away and settle this like dragons?" asked Natsu as he continued to glare at the ice drake.

"I can already tell that you are going to be more of a challenge than those other slayers, so why don't we Salamander!" shouted the ice drake as he then launched two spikes of ice from his wings right at Natsu. But before they even got close to Natsu they evaporated leaving behind little clouds of steam in their wake, only now did they realize that it was extremely hot since Natsu showed up.

"You're going to have to do better than that drake, **FIRE DRAGON'S BOLTS!** " shouted Natsu as he threw punches at the air that then launched little streams of fire at the ice drake. They of course didn't do much damage at all to the drake that now had a big grin on his face as he jumped into the sky and took flight.

"The same could be said for you Salamander." said the ice drake as he got higher and higher. Natsu could see that the drake was up to something so he made sure to position himself between the drake and the two boys and man was he glad that he did that simple move.

Because the next second the ice drake dove to the ground at astonishing speeds and smashed into it on all fours. This resulted in ice coming out of the ground in all directions around the drake and continuing on for a hundred yards destroying everything in its path. All except for a little triangle that originated from where Natsu was standing and got bigger as it went out behind him which was very fortunate for Sting and Rogue.

"Impressive ice drake I have a move similar to that one, but I can already tell that I need to take you seriously right off the bat." said Natsu as he walked towards the drake as the ice melted before, almost as if they were a crowd getting out of the way for royalty.

"How is this even possible Salamander, not even a fire dragon should be able to do that to my ice?" asked the ice drake as he watched his ice melt as if it was normal ice to the heat that Natsu was giving off.

"Simple, when I am angry my fire becomes stronger and not only did you ruin my day off you also killed people who were completely innocent. So you have officially made me angrier than when I battled Acnologia and that monster took away my friends!" shouted Natsu as a pillar of fire shot into the air around him causing the ice drake to take a step back from Natsu for two reason.

One was Natsu was giving off tons of magic power that was also radiating a killing intent that made even him shiver. And the other reason was because Natsu just said that he battled Acnologia and he could now smell that vile monster's scent on Natsu, meaning that he indeed fought that monster and somehow survived.

 **"FIRE DRAGON'S PIERCING FIST'S!"** shouted Natsu as he appeared right next to the ice drake and started to swing away, trying to hit the ice drake's joints if possible. The ice drake was startled by Natsu's speed and let him get a few good hit on him but after that he got his defenses up which were barely stopping Natsu and his assault.

"Get off me you brat!" shouted the ice drake as he kept slashing with his claws and swinging his tail at Natsu but never landed a hit on him. But Natsu didn't even acknowledge the drake's shout and continued his assault, making the drake realize that he was in fact losing this fight and if he didn't do anything soon he would die at Natsu's hands.

"I warned you, you insufferable slayer!" shouted the ice drake as he then let out almost all of his magic in one attack. This resulted in a giant spike of ice to form right around him and Natsu that went twenty stories into the sky. And just like the drake thought it would do, it stopped Natsu right in his tracks as he was about to land a devastating blow to his neck which might have ended the battle in Natsu's favor.

"Well it looks like that is the end of you Salamander. Now I want you to watch me kill these two little slayers as you slowly run out of breath and die." said the Ice Drake as he came out of the ice since he had complete control over it and smiled at the completely trapped Natsu.

"Come on Salamander you aren't going to let this stupid drake beat you, are you?" shouted Sting as the ice drake slowly made his way over to the two boys and their cats.

"Sorry little slayer but the Salamander is helpless and is now going to have to watch you die." said the ice drake as he once again liked his teeth ready to actually eat the slayer this time until he felt something grab his tail.

"We aren't done yet drake, **FIRE DRAGON'S ROARING INFERNO!"** shouted Natsu as he shot fire out of his mouth that only went fifteen feet in front of him. Which was exactly the distance that Natsu wanted because if it went any further it could possibly hit the two boys, but another difference this roar had than his normal was that it was stronger and had hotter flames.

The ice drake let out painful roar as he tried to shake Natsu off of his tail but somehow he wouldn't budge from his spot while also not letting go. Natsu's roar lasted for a minute and a half and when he finally ended it the back half of the ice drake was severely damaged meaning that Natsu could now easily punch through the scales that was just barely stopping him before.

"I am going to rip you limb by limb for that Salamander!" shouted the drake as he spun around to be facing Natsu now.

"That is what every drake has said before you expect for those kids that you sent for some reason." replied Natsu as he growled at the ice drake when he said kids.

"None of them were kids Salamander, they were all of fighting age but I can see that none of them stood a chance against you. So I am going to give you the honor of hearing my name before you die." said the ice drake.

"Save your words drake, I don't want that from a beast like you. And besides you are not going to kill me after your last move failed so horribly and took a lot of your magic." said Natsu as he then launched himself at the ice drake.

"Shit, why did he have to be a fire dragon slayer, if he was anything else he would be dead by now." thought the drake as he once again was on the defense but this time it was much worse since half of his scales were already ruined by Natsu's previous roar.

For the next half hour Sting watched as Natsu and the ice drake fought it out, with the ice drake clearly on the losing side. As Natsu kept landing **FIRE DRAGON'S PIERCING CLAWS** and **FIRE DRAGON'S PIERCING TALONS** with the occasional **FIRE DRAGON'S CRUSHING ELBOW** or **KNEE** , which was just like the elbow move but used the knee and foot instead, on the drake who with each hit was getting slower and slower. And with Natsu's last **FIRE DRAGON'S PIERCING TALON** landing on the drake's neck it fell to the ground no longer moving as Natsu let out a victory roar.

"He made it look so easy." mumbled Rogue who was able to turn around and watch the last twenty minutes of the fight.

"That's because he's the Salamander, the strongest dragon slayer out there." replied Sting who couldn't look away from Natsu who was now coming over to them.

"I don't know about that you two, that drake was able to land a few good hits on me that if I hadn't just barely move out of the way. I would be the one dead right now, and as for being the strongest dragon slayer I have two friends who would disagree with you on that." said Natsu as he showed them his cuts and then sealed them up so he wouldn't lose any more blood than he's already had.

"Are you talking about Black Steel Gajeel?" asked Rogue with wide eyes.

"Yep and the other one is Laxus and I think that he is still probably stronger than me." replied Natsu as he eyed the two noticing that they were not in good shape at all.

"But didn't they all die on Tenrou Island, making you definitely the strongest?" asked Sting.

"Nope, they just disappeared using some sort of spell that I don't know. But we need to get you two some help." stated Natsu as he picked up Rogue who winced in pain while still hugging their two Exceeds.

"You mean that Black Steel Gajeel is still alive?" asked Rogue hopefully as he looked up at Natsu.

"Yep and he'll be as grumpy as ever when he finally gets his sorry ass back here." said Natsu as they started to make their way through the destroyed town.

"Well I still think you're the strongest Salamander! And how did you get out of that huge tower of ice?" said Sting quickly as he completely forgot about how much pain he was in.

"HAHAHAHA we'll have to wait until they get back to see if you are correct about that, oh and you can call me Natsu. As for how I got out of that Ice, I just increased my body temperature thanks to my magic and melted the ice until I got to the ground and then did the same while walking forward." replied Natsu with a small chuckle at how excited Sting was after coming so close to dying.

"Wow that is so cool Salamander, so where are you taking us?" asked Sting excitedly since he was with his hero.

"I am taking you guys to where the rest of the town is now so that you two can hopefully get patched up. Oh and are your two exceeds okay, because if they need help tell me now?" said Natsu as he looked down at the two little cats being held by Rogue.

"No they're fine Natsu they are just asleep." replied Rogue with a faint smile, happy that he was able to protect them.

"Sounds about right, Happy would probably be doing the same thing if he was that young." stated Natsu as he remembered his blue little buddy that used to never leave his side, which made Natsu frown since he was feeling alone without him right now.

"Who's Happy?" asked Sting.

"He was my best friend who was an Exceed, who was just like your two cats but he was blue and a little goofy." replied Natsu as his frown switched to a faint smile as all of the good memories he shared with Happy came rushing back to him.

"They're exceeds, I thought that they were just talking cats." stated Sting who then let out a grunt of pain because of his broken arm.

"Nope, and I just now realized that I didn't get any of your names and that includes your exceeds." said Natsu as let out another chuckle at how he somehow kept doing this. For the next few minutes the boys introduced themselves and their Exceeds and told Natsu a little about themselves, after which Natsu told them about how he and his friends went to Edolas which is where all of the exceeds originally came from. By the time that they finished this they had made it to the camp that the townspeople set up and started to look for someone that could patch them up.

"Thank you so much for looking them over." said Natsu as one of the town's doctors was looking over Rogue after setting Stings bones in place and was now getting a cast put on by a nurse.

"No need to Sir, these two brave boys fought that drake allowing a whole lot of people to escape when they otherwise wouldn't have been able to." replied the doctor as he inspected Rogue.

"They're our town's little heroes." said one of the nurses who handed the doctor a syringe that he quickly used on Rogue before he could even protest.

"The real hero is Salamander, he's the one that killed the drake." said Sting as he pointed at Natsu with his good arm.

"You mean it's actually dead?" asked the nurse that was working on Sting.

"Yep and you should have seen it, that drake didn't have a chance against Salamander who barely even got hurt." answered Sting as he looked at his new cast with disgust.

"It wasn't that impressive Sting, and like I said before I almost died." stated Natsu as he rolled his eyes at the young dragon slayer.

"You got hurt, let me make sure that you're alright." said the nurse who was done with Sting.

"I'm okay see, but have you seen someone from the Council around here?" asked Natsu as he showed the nurse that he only had scars.

"You must be talking about that man who kept appearing with other survivors." said the doctor who finished whatever he was doing on Rogue.

"Yep that sounds like the friend I am looking." replied Natsu as he shooed away the nurse that was still concerned about his wounds.

"He left right before you guys got here saying that he had to go and check on his friend, whom I am assuming was you Salamander." stated the doctor as he moved to a new patient that needed his help.

"You would be correct and it seems like I just missed him, hey Sting and Rogue are you two going to be okay if I go and look for him?" asked Natsu as he looked at the two wounded dragon slayers.

"Of course we are Salamander, we're dragon slayers just like you." stated Sting as he glared at Natsu for treating them like kids.

"Just wanted to make sure, and make sure that you come see me before you two leave. And I said that you can just call me Natsu, Sting." said Natsu as he turned to go look for Doranbolt.

"We'll be waiting right here for you Salamander." shouted Sting as Natsu went towards the town and gave them a quick wave.

"Who was that man Sting?" asked Lector who only woke up a few minutes ago and was too afraid to speak up earlier.

"That was the Salamander, the one that I told you about. And he was the one that saved our lives." answered Sting with complete admiration in his voice.

"Wow he must be strong then." stated Lector who looked at Natsu who was already almost out of eyesight.

"He's the strongest there is." declared Sting now grinning because of the idea that he just came up with.

"Frosch thinks so too." said Frosch as she sat down on Rogue's stomach since he was still lying down on the table.

"That he is Frosch." said Rogue as he pet her.

"Hey Rogue I just got a really good idea." said Sting cheerfully.

"Sting this better not be like your last idea." replied Rogue as he let out a sigh.

"Nope, this is one that you are even going to like Rogue." stated Sting as he came up to Rogue with a big smile.

"What is it Sting?" asked Rogue as he braced himself for something really stupid.

"We're going to join Salamander and help him take on all of the drakes." answered Sting who was barely able to contain his excitement.

"That would be a good idea if we didn't just lose to one right now, so why would he want our help?" asked Rogue as he frowned at how weak he actually was.

"That doesn't matter Rogue, we'll just train harder. Also we are the only ones that can actually help because other mages do even less than what we can." declared Sting not letting Rogue's question deter him in the slightest.

"Okay Sting, we'll ask him when he comes back." replied Rogue who was only thinking about getting stronger so that he could protect his friends better next time.

 **With Natsu walking into the town:**

Once again Natsu took notice of all the death and destruction that this one drake was able to make before he was even brought in. And it made him extremely angry that he and the Council didn't know about it sooner, because if they did then these citizens wouldn't have died today.

"There you are Natsu, I have been looking all over for you." stated Doranbolt who ran up to Natsu with a look of relief on his face.

"Just had to take two kids that tried to take on the drake back to town's camp." replied Natsu as he changed his course to be going back to the drake's corpse.

"Two kids tried to take it on, are they insane?" asked Doranbolt.

"Nope they just couldn't sit by and watch the drake go on a rampage even if they knew that they couldn't stop him. They actually reminded me of my younger self, which is why I am thinking about having you take them to Fairy Tail when you leave." replied Natsu as they continued to follow the trail of destruction just like he did when he first got here.

"Wait, are you not going back right away Natsu?" asked Doranbolt not seeing a reason why Natsu would stay here.

"I think that the town is going to need my help getting rid of the ice here, and I can also help them rebuild a few things since I am not that bad at actually building. Despite my reputation for only destroying buildings, which I am an expert at." answered Natsu with a small grin when he remembered all of the times Master Makarov would yell at him for destroying things.

"You know that you don't have to do that Natsu, the Council will be sending people here to help out the town." stated Doranbolt.

"I know, but that could take a few days and I am here already so why not make this a longer time off than I originally planned." said Natsu as they came up to the body of the drake.

"You have probably the weirdest definition of time off, if you consider re-building a town time off." said Doranbolt with a smirk.

"I have been told that I am weird almost daily now Doranbolt, and it'll be nice to help people who really need it. Also I don't know if the Council will be as efficient as me with getting rid of this magical ice." said Natsu as he started his regular routine with disposing of the corpse of a drake with Doranbolt quietly sitting back and watching Natsu go about his work.

"Well that makes number six." stated Natsu with a frown as he watched the body slowly burn.

"I seriously don't know what the Council, and Fiore for that matter would do without you Natsu." said Doranbolt.

"Both would make it somehow Doranbolt that I am sure of because I am just a small part of this big world." said Natsu as he turned away from the fire and headed towards the town's makeshift camp.

"So before I take these two kids to Fairy Tail, I need to ask if they want to Natsu. Because I don't want to take them if they don't want to go to Fairy Tail." said Doranbolt as they made their way back to the camp.

"Well I haven't asked them yet Doranbolt, but I am fairly certain that they won't turn me down. Especially Sting since I think I might actually be his hero as crazy as that sounds." replied Natsu.

"Come on Natsu, it's not that crazy for young mages to look up to the man who has been single handedly keeping the drakes at bay." pointed out Doranbolt.

"I am not too sure that I will be able to do that for much longer though Doranbolt. Because according to that drake so far they have just been sending out scouts and are becoming more curious why none of them have been returning." said Natsu as he looked off into the distance now lost in his own thoughts.

"Wait, are you saying that the drakes are completely united." said Doranbolt as a look of fear came across his face.

"It would seem that all of the clans have a common goal right now, so it's hard to say they are probably just working together right now. But I really doubt that they are actually united, there's a lot of history between the different clans that make that almost impossible to achieve." said Natsu as they made it to just outside of the camp.

"Well that's good to hear I guess." said Doranbolt with a smile.

"It's not actually that good Doranbolt, because I just said that all of them aren't united. That doesn't mean a few of them haven't done that, making them even stronger than before and the likelihood of packs increasing." explained Natsu as they made their way to Sting and Rogue.

"I still want to know how you are getting all of this information Natsu." said Doranbolt as he stared at Natsu.

"That is a secret that I will never tell you as long as you're part of the Council." stated Natsu as they came up to the two boys.

"You can't be serious doc, there is no way that I can keep this cast on for a whole month!" shouted an angry Sting.

"You will if you want it to heal properly young man." the doctor shouted back.

"Sting quit complaining at least you get to move around, I have to stay in a stupid wheelchair or bed for the next two months." stated Rogue who was also extremely angry.

"Your friend is right boy; count your blessings that you only got hurt. You two are lucky that you didn't die to that drake and Salamander showed up to save you both." said the doctor.

"He does have a point Sting." stated Natsu with a grin as he made himself known.

"I know but this is going to ruin our plans." complained Sting with a frown.

"Well they actually work out great for mine." said Natsu which caused Sting and Rogues mouths to drop thinking that he heard them and didn't want them to join him. But before either of the boys could say something Natsu continued talking with them.

"So I have a crazy question to ask the two of you, how would you like to join Fairy Tail and have me teach you what I know once both of you get better?" asked Natsu who quietly waited for their response that took a minute since they both thought that the conversation was going to actually go the exact opposite direction.

"We'd love to Salamander and were actually going to ask you that exact same thing." shouted Sting happily.

"Good to hear boys, but my first task for you two is to get better so we can start training. Oh and you're also going to have to ask Master Macao to join Fairy Tail, because apparently I can't just let whoever I want in." said Natsu as he rolled his eyes at Macao making him do this.

"So you mean we might not be able to join?" asked Rogue with slightly sad eyes.

"No not at all Rogue, all you have to do is tell them that I sent you and you'll definitely be able to join. Master Macao just doesn't want me going around him on such big decisions, oh and you can put all of the food that you get at the guild on my tab." explained Natsu with a grin.

"Wait Salamander, are you not taking us to Fairy Tail?" asked Sting.

"Sorry Sting but I have work to do here, and like I said earlier you two need to get better before we can have fun and start training." answered Natsu.

"So how are we supposed to get there then?" asked Rogue who was petting Frosch who was once again asleep.

"My friend Doranbolt here, will teleport you guys there. Oh and could you explain to the guild Doranbolt that I will be gone for a while?" said Natsu as he looked at Doranbolt hoping that he would be okay with it.

"How long are you going to be here helping Natsu?" asked Doranbolt.

"Until they don't need or want me Doranbolt, and then after that I'll do my own thing until a month passes by." answered Natsu.

"What if another drake comes and I need to get you?" asked Doranbolt wanting to make sure that he could always find the dragon slayer.

"Just give me one of those communication lacrimas and then you can figure out where I am." replied Natsu as he held out his hand for Doranbolt to put the lacrima on.

"I guess that'll work Natsu, but you know better than I do that Fairy Tail will not be happy about you doing this." said Doranbolt as he passed Natsu two of the lacrimas just to be safe.

"Yea, but they'll get over it once they realize that I am helping other people. So I guess this is bye Sting and Rogue and I'll see you two in a month. And I hope that I don't see you for a while Doranbolt unless it's for a friendly visit." joked Natsu as he then headed back into town to start to work on getting rid of the ice which is something that he knew the town would need to have done.

"Salamander knows that he doesn't need to help us anymore right? I mean he already saved the town by just getting rid of that drake." said the doctor who was listening in the whole time while seeing to a different patient.

"He does, but Natsu feels bad about not getting here sooner and stopping it before anyone died. So he's going to try and make it up to you guys by helping out with the restoration of the town." explained Doranbolt.

"That's crazy how was he supposed to know about the drake when we didn't until it was already too late?" asked the doctor.

"He wasn't but Natsu doesn't care about that, he just wants to help out if he can. Is it okay if I take these two with me right now doctor?" asked Doranbolt as he pointed to the two boys that he didn't know were dragon slayers yet.

"Yes you can Sir as long as they don't do anything strenuous for the next month for the blond and two months for the other one." answered the Doctor.

"That is something I can do, thanks for your help doc." said Doranbolt as he went up to the two boys.

"I should be the one thanking all of you guys for stopping that drake and saving countless lives in the process." replied the doctor as he then went to check on a different patient.

"Are you guys ready to join Fairy Tail?" asked Doranbolt with a big smile, since he was glad to help out the guild that rather than dying out like everyone thought it would after losing its strongest members. Was actually doing the exact opposite, it was growing and attracting even more members than it did before all thanks to a pink haired dragon slayer in his opinion.

"Yes Sir!" said the two boys and one of their cats.

"Frosch thinks so too." said Frosch right before Doranbolt teleported all of them to Fairy Tail.

 **Earlier at Fairy Tail:**

"Would you guys please stop pacing around the guild, you're making everyone else nervous." said Macao in an annoyed tone.

"Yea girls, think of who you're worrying about here, Natsu is easily the strongest mage Fairy Tail has right now." stated Wakaba hoping to calm the women down.

"That is exactly why we are worried Wakaba, because that doesn't mean much to a drake that only needs him to make one mistake." said Ultear who was clearly the most concerned.

"Ultear's right Wakaba, Natsu is always telling us that each time he goes out there it could be his last." said Meredy who didn't have the smile that she usually did.

"True, but it's Natsu that we're talking about here ladies. He fought Acnologia and didn't die so I am sure that he's not going to let a puny drake get the best of him." said Macao hoping that they would remember how skilled Natsu has become at his new job.

"You're right Master Macao and I think I am going to go practice with my sword." stated Kagura.

"Would you mind if we had a little sparring match Kagura?" asked Krish.

"Why not, you're even better than Natsu with a sword." replied Kagura as the left the guild to go fight in the arena.

"Why don't you two go and do some training to get your minds off of Natsu being gone." said Macao.

"Sorry Master Macao, that won't help at all." replied Ultear as she continued to pace when Doranbolt appeared with the two boys. Sting standing next to him with Lector on his head like Happy used to do with Natsu and Rogue being held by Doranbolt since he wasn't supposed to do anything for a month.

"Where the hell's Natsu?" asked Ultear getting straight to the point.

"He's still at the town helping with the restoration of it." stated Doranbolt nervously as Ultear glared at him.

"Of course he is." said Ultear as she let out a sigh of relief and sat down on a stool at the bar.

"Well since we know that Natsu's fine, who are these two boys that you've brought to our guild?" asked Macao with a smile since it was a big relief knowing that Natsu was indeed safe.

"They want to join your guild." replied Doranbolt.

"Yea and Salamander said to tell you that he sent us here and we're going to be his students." said Sting with a big grin.

"Sting, Natsu said that he would train us he didn't say anything about us being his students." said Rogue with an expressionless face.

"But if he's training us that makes us the Salamander's students." stated Sting as he glared at Rouge.

"It looks like you two are already determined to join Fairy Tail and since it seems like Natsu plans to train the two of you. What are all of your names so I can know who's joining our big family?" asked Macao happy to see the guild getting even bigger.

"My name is Sting Eucliffe and this is Lector and he wants to join too." stated Sting with a big smile since he was soon going be part of the same guild as Salamander.

"Rogue Cheney and her name is Frosch and she would also like to join Fairy Tail." said Rogue still not showing any emotions which kind of creeped out a few members.

"Well now that we know who you are Welcome to Fairy Tail, and feel free to make yourself at home." said Macao as he watched both of the boys smile at him.

"So where do you guys want your emblems and what color?" asked Ultear as Kinana passed her the stamp.

"Left shoulder please and white." said Sting as he tried to roll up the sleeve but couldn't since his right arm was in a cast.

"Same spot and black please." said Rogue who was still being held by Doranbolt. Both of their Exceeds asked for it on their backs and in the same color as their best friend.

"So what happened to you two?" asked Kei who had been dying to know as soon as they learned that Natsu was okay. Sting was more than happy to tell the whole guild everything that happened to the two and how right when they were all going to die Natsu came into save them. He then told them every single detail that he could remember about Natsu and the ice drake's battle all the way to the final attack that ended it.

"And then that stupid doctor said I have to wait a full month until I can have fun, while Rogue has to wait two months so I guess it's not that bad." said Sting with a smile on his face as he looked at all the shocked members of Fairy Tail.

"So you two are both dragon slayers?" asked Doranbolt who just learned that along with the rest of Fairy Tail.

"Yep, which is why Salamander is going to teach us how to be awesome just like him." cheered Sting as most of the guild started to laugh at how happy Sting was at just being able to learn from Natsu.

"I can't believe I didn't ask you what type of magic you two had before I accepted you into Fairy Tail. And now we're going to have two mini Natsus running around destroying everything." said Macao as he imagined all of the damage he would have to pay for.

"Hey, I don't just go around destroying things for fun." said Rogue as he glared at Macao.

"I do, because that's what the Salamander does!" cheered Sting once again causing the guild to laugh.

"Man the Council is going to be mad that I didn't bring you two to them first." stated Doranbolt.

"Well it's good that you didn't Doranbolt because we both know that they wouldn't be opposed to experimenting on them trying to figure out what makes their magic so different. Also what the Council doesn't know won't hurt them now will it Doranbolt?" said Ultear with a slight glare directed to Doranbolt.

"You're right Ultear and it's about time I report back to them." said Doranbolt as he passed Rogue over to a Nab who was surprisingly not in front of the request board.

"Wait when is Natsu coming back Doranbolt?" asked Meredy with pleading eyes.

"He said that he would be back in probably a month." answered Doranbolt who was just about to teleport when he was all of a sudden grabbed by Ultear.

"You are going to take me to him right now Doranbolt, do I make myself clear?" asked Ultear as she glared at the poor man.

"Yes." said Doranbolt as the two then disappeared before anyone else could say anything.

"Darn I wanted to go too." pouted Meredy with a frown.

"Looks like Natsu didn't think that one through." said Wakaba as he started to chuckle with Macao.

"No he definitely didn't." agreed Macao who continued to chuckle with Wakaba at the image of Ultear attacking Natsu for trying to leave her behind for a whole month.

 **End of Chapter**

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Thanks for reading and I hope you all enjoyed it. I want to thank all of you guys for supporting this story, because when I first started to write it I really didn't know if anyone would like what I am doing with it. I also want to thank all of you reviewers who have talked with me on this story and my other ones since that always gets me motivated to write and it also gives me idea on what to do. So as always feel free to leave me a review.**

 **Until the next Chapter**

 **Digem Out!**


	9. An Engagement and a Drake

Ch 9: An Engagement and a Drake

Needless to say Natsu was really surprised when he was getting rid of the ice that was in the town when he noticed a building go back to how it used to be in a few seconds. It took Natsu a few moments to figure out what was happening but when he did he couldn't help but smile and start wondering why he didn't ask Ultear to come in the first place. Natsu also didn't realize how mad Ultear was at him for trying to go out and have an adventure without even telling her in advance.

After Ultear stopped hitting him and calmed down enough for Natsu to explain himself to her, she decided that it would be the perfect time to have some alone time with Natsu. Since they usually had Kagura and Meredy with them at all times of the day when they are at Fairy Tail, which both of them are fine with. But now that it was just the two of them Natsu was thinking about all of the training that he could get done, while Ultear was thinking of how she might finally get the dragon slayer to notice her feminine features more.

So after Natsu and Ulter fixed the town back to how it was before the drake attacked three days earlier. They headed out to travel Fiore while both of them trying to accomplish their goals for the next month, which they both succeeded at. Natsu fared better on his goal when compared to Ultear, but in Ultear's opinion she made leaps and bounds in progressing their relationship because she would every once in a while catch Natsu staring at her ass or chest. This gave Ultear hope that she was making progress on the dense dragon slayer when it came to matters of the heart or seeing a woman as an actual woman.

 **One month later at Fairy Tail:**

"I still can't believe that Ultear just joined Natsu on his trip doing who knows what." ranted Kagura with an angry expression.

"I knew right away that was her plan Kagura, why do think I wanted to join Ultear when Doranbolt took her to Natsu?" asked Meredy with the smile that she pretty much always had on her face.

"I thought it was because you couldn't stand being away from Ultear for more than a day." replied Kagura as she sat down at a table and let out a sigh.

"That is not true Kagura, as you can see from me being completely fine without her or Natsu for the last month." said Meredy with a smug grin.

"Doesn't it feel great to finally get out of that bed Rogue?" asked Sting loudly as he and Rogue walked out of the infirmary.

"That is does Sting, but is Natsu back yet?" asked Rogue who looked around the guild for the older dragon slayer.

"Sorry Rogue but Natsu and Ultear haven't come back yet." said Kinana as she handed out drinks to the few members that were at the guild this early.

"Yea I am going to have to beat Salamander up for leaving us like that." said Sting loudly like always did when excited causing the rest of the guild to laugh at Sting, who reminded all of the older members of a young Natsu.

"Don't worry you two, Ultear and Natsu should be here any minute now." stated Macao who was sitting at his usual spot at the bar.

"How long have you known this Master Macao?" asked a slightly angry Meredy.

"For a week now." replied Macao with a smug look on his face that pissed off everyone that was waiting for Natsu's return.

"And why didn't you tell us sooner Master Macao?" asked Kagura who was upset that Ultear had all of this alone time with Natsu and could have tried to corrupt him while she wasn't there to stop her.

"Because I am the Master of Fairy Tail and I deemed that it was unnecessary to tell any of you until now." replied Macao with a glare directed at all of the members that were upset about not learning about this sooner.

"Good to see you laying down the law Master Macao." said Natsu who was now standing in the door way with his famous grin spread across his face.

"Natsu!" shouted pretty much everyone there as the rushed to meet Fairy Tail's first dragon slayer.

"Hi everyone and it's great to be back." stated Natsu as he hugged a few members back.

"So why did you leave Natsu?" asked Kei since no one else could come up with a reason.

"I really needed some time off Kei, since from here on out I am going to have absolutely no free time for myself. When I have to train two dragon slayers while still helping anyone else out that wants my help." said Natsu with a big smile.

"I can understand that Natsu since it seems that some members have become quite dependent on you. But before you do something like this again could you tell me before hand and also not be gone as long?" asked Macao with a stern look on his face.

"Can do Master Macao." said Natsu with a sheepish grin as he traced the scars on his face.

"Don't worry everyone I am here too." said Ultear with a slightly angry look that was instantly gone when Meredy hugged her.

"I really missed you Ultear." whispered Meredy while hugging her.

"I missed you too, Meredy." Ultear whispered back with a big smile on her face since she was glad that someone missed her.

"Thank god you're finally back Ultear." said Macao with a look of relief on his face.

"Wow Master Macao, I didn't expect you of all people to be so excited about my return." stated Ultear with surprised look on her face.

"You would be amazed with how much money you've been saving the guild by putting things back together after they are destroyed." explained Macao.

"So you only missed me saving you money." stated Ultear as she glared at Macao.

"No not at all Ultear." replied Macao nervously.

"So what did you do on your month off Natsu?" asked Kagura who didn't want Macao making a bigger mess out of the situation he put himself in.

"Just some personal training and also getting a lot of reading in, so what have you all been up to?" asked Natsu and then listened to all of them explain for the next hour.

"Glad that you all are still training even if I am not here." said Natsu with a proud smirk.

"Of course Natsu, I wasn't going to let them slack in their training just because you needed to do your own thing." replied Kagura in a commanding tone that reminded some of the members of Erza.

"HAHAHAHAHA I knew that someone would step up and help train the other members if I wasn't here." said Natsu as he patted Kagura on the head.

"Hey Salamander when are we going to start training?" asked Sting who was bouncing around the guild due to him being so excited.

"It's Natsu, Sting for the last time. And that was another reason that I left so that I could work on coming up with the most efficient way to train the two of you. Oh and man is it going to be harder than whatever your dragons put you through." declared Natsu with a slightly evil grin on his face that caused the two young dragon slayers to wonder what they got themselves into.

"Weren't those two supposed to take longer to heal." pointed out Wakaba who felt a little sorry for Sting and Rogue after seeing that look in Natsu's eye.

"Yea if they were normal mages Wakaba, but you should already know that we slayers heal almost twice as fast as a normal mage." said Natsu as he took off everything but his pants and scarf.

"Don't tell me that you developed a stripping habit like Grey while you were gone?" asked Macao who really didn't want to explain why Natsu was fighting drakes while naked.

"Don't be ridiculous Master Macao; I am just getting ready to start training Sting and Rogue. And I didn't want to get my other stuff dirty, oh and this is going to be the physical part of your training you two. That you have to complete while still being ready to fight afterwards, for us to move on to the more entertaining lessons." said Natsu as he was now doing stretches.

"It'll be a piece of cake Salamander." cheered Sting as he was now just in his pants like Natsu.

"I don't know Sting, this might be harder than you think." stated Rogue who was also just in his pants.

"Sting would you please just call me Natsu, it feels so weird hearing that name while at the guild. And you both know that you didn't have to strip down to your pants." said Natsu after letting out a big sigh that caused the older members to just laugh at him.

"Sorry Salamander I mean Natsu, I just got so used to calling you that." said Sting with his head down since he thought that Natsu might be upset with him.

"Don't worry about it Sting, it's not that big of a deal I guess." said Natsu as he tussled the blondes hair.

"Really Salamander?" asked Sting with a huge smile.

"Yep, as long as you at least try and call me Natsu." replied Natsu as he smiled back down at the boy.

"You're the best Salamander, first you save our lives and then you let us join your guild so that we can train under you while also letting us eat as much food as we want!" cheered Sting now back to his cheerful self.

"Wait what do you mean as much food as you want?" asked Natsu as he stared at Sting.

"You said just to put it on your tab Salamander I mean Natsu, and the guild has such delicious food." declared Sting as he started to drool just at the thought of all that delicious food he could get.

"Master Macao how much did they tally up while I was gone?" asked Natsu with a look of dread on his face.

"Just a little bit over one million jewels." replied Macao causing everyone's jaw to drop in shock at how much two boys and there cats ate in just one month.

"You're not joking around with me Master Macao?" asked Natsu hoping that he was.

"Sorry Natsu but I am not, we even had to hire some new staff to keep up with those little guys. But it did settle a bet that the guild has had for a long time Natsu." replied Macao who looked like he was enjoying this way more than he should have been.

"And what bet was that Master Macao?" asked Natsu as he sent a glare at Sting and Rogue.

"It was one that was about how much you could eat and if it was because of you being a dragon slayer, and it would appear that it was actually both since when you were there age you even ate more than them together." stated Macao.

"Like hell I did Master Macao, I didn't have that many jewels when I was that young." shouted Natsu.

"That's true but you were always eating things that you caught and spent every jewel you had on food. Which is why you didn't have any jewels saved up until recently." said Macao with a big grin.

"Hey, you don't know if I have jewels saved up at my place." stated Natsu.

"Do you Natsu?" asked Wakaba.

"No I don't Wakaba, but I do have quite a lot now after taking on all of those drakes." replied Natsu with a smug look.

"What about all jewels you made from those S-Class quests that you did with Ultear and Meredy?" asked Kagura who heard all about them from Meredy.

"Spent it all, but I need to get back to talking with my two new students." said Natsu as he now had a sinister smile.

"Would it be okay if I joined you three?" asked Kagura with a small smile.

"Sure thing Kagura and anyone else can join as well. But I am going to warn you all right now that this is serious training that I am going to be putting these two through. And since they have been eating like kings while I was gone I am going to kick it up a notch to make sure we get rid of any fat that they've gained recently." said Natsu as he headed to the back doors of the guild with a small group following him.

"So what are we going to do first Natsu?" asked Rogue who was excited to learn from another dragon slayer that got to spend more time with his dragon then either him or Sting.

"We'll warm up with a ten mile run, after which we'll get started on the fun stuff. Oh and try to keep up with my pace." said Natsu as he then took off putting some distance between him and the group that were all stunned by a ten mile run being a warm up in Natsu's mind. They were all wondering if they had just made a huge mistake as they all started to run and catch up to the pink haired dragon slayer.

"You're not going to join them Ultear?" asked Wakaba who was leaning against the guild as he puffed away on his pipe.

"Nope I already know all about Natsu's training regimen and it's literally not possible for normal mages. Even his one that he has planned for those two boys is almost impossible for your average mage." replied Ultear with a smirk.

"Well it's a good thing that they aren't Ultear, and also thanks to you guys none of our other mages are average anymore." stated Macao proudly.

"Come on TM Macao, Fairy Tail has never had normal mages." pointed out Wakaba.

"Good point Wakaba, but I was talking about their skill level. Yes we've always had strong mages before, but now our overall level of skill is higher than ever before. Not to mention that we have a few mages that are giving it their all to try and keep up with Natsu even though we all know that's impossible." explained Macao as he shook his head wondering if he was ever like that when he was there age.

"Dad, where's Natsu-nii?" asked Romeo who came running up to him.

"He just took off with some of the members to show them what training is like for dragon slayers." replied Macao with a loving smile.

"Darn I would have loved to see that." said Romeo as Macao picked him up.

"I know you would have Romeo, but I am pretty sure that you're still too young for things like this." said Macao in a fatherly manner.

"Nope, Natsu-nii started to train when he was younger than I am now." pointed out Romeo.

"Yea but Natsu isn't like most people Romeo, your father's right on this one." said Wakaba trying to help his friend out.

"Sting and Rogue also started to train before they were six." said Romeo with a frown.

"Romeo that is true, but those three are all dragon slayers whose bodies have actually changed because of their magic. So just wait a few years and I am sure that your father will start teaching you everything that he knows." stated Ultear with a small smile.

"But I want Natsu-nii to teach me." stated Romeo which caused Macao to frown while Wakaba and Ultear to start laughing at their Master.

"We'll see if you want him as your teacher Romeo after you see the condition that our members come back in." said Macao not happy that his son would rather have Natsu train him than his own father. But then again Natsu has been like an older bother to Romeo and who wants to learn from their parents if they could be taught by the Salamander himself.

"So will I be able to become a member soon dad?" asked Romeo with hopeful eyes.

"We've went over this Romeo, not until you at least start showing signs of magic and that you are in control of them as well." replied Macao as if it was something that he said everyday which could actually be true.

"Fine dad." replied Romeo as he started to pout.

"So this is where you all are." said an unfamiliar voice from the back doors of the guild.

"What do you want now Jason?" asked Macao after letting out a sigh.

"Same thing that I have always wanted Master Macao, ever since Ultear dropped off all of that juicy information at our office here in Magnolia, I am supposed to get an interview with Natsu. Fiore wants to know more about the man that is stopping drakes from taking over our country all by himself." replied Jason as he came up to their small group.

"And like I have been telling you every time that you come here Jason, Natsu doesn't do interviews." said Macao.

"Why not dad?" asked Romeo.

"Because he thinks that all they want to do is ruin his good name by telling everyone about all of the things that he's destroyed." explained Macao.

"But that was the old Natsu, Master Macao, ever since the Tenrou group disappeared he's become almost a completely different person." said Jason hoping that he could at least talk to Natsu which he hasn't been able to do thanks to Macao.

"Maybe to the rest of the world he's changed, but he's still the same person to all of us here at Fairy Tail." said Macao.

"And I don't doubt that Master Macao, but the public never got to see any of that since Natsu never did any interviews with me before. But now the rest of Fiore knows him for what he actually is Master Macao, a true hero that is no longer destroying things and is actually doing the exact opposite. Yes we already did an article all about what Natsu and Ultear did in Senna that the most recent drake attacked, and now the public wants to know more about him." explained Jason.

"I guess you can talk with Natsu once he comes back Jason, but if he doesn't want to speak with you then you're gone." said Macao so Jason knew that there were no exceptions to that last part.

"Deal Master Macao, so while I wait would you mind to tell me what's been going on with Fairy Tail since you have also been declining all of my interviews?" asked Jason with a smile on his face since he was finally going to be talking with Natsu for the first time since the incident that happened on Tenrou Island. And he was part of the select few that knew Natsu was actually there when they all went missing, which is how he learned to not say that they were dead.

"Sure why not Jason, hopefully this will get you off of my back for a while." stated Macao with a sigh.

"Alright, let's get straight to the hard questions, oh and Wakaba and Ultear feel free to join in if you want. What was your reaction to learning what happened on Tenrou Island and how were you able to keep Fairy Tail afloat after losing almost all of your strongest mages?" asked Jason, who had a voice recording lacrima out while also taking notes about what they all said. And as soon as they answered that question he quickly asked them another one and did it over and over again.

 **Two hours later:**

"Wow this is great stuff here and it seems that Natsu comes up quite a lot." said Jason with a huge grin.

"What did you expect Jason, Natsu is our temporary Ace while Gildarts is gone." said Wakaba who just now thought of that.

"Natsu is just one of those people that seems to always be there when you need him the most." said Macao.

"I probably should have told all of you guys this sooner but there is a really good chance Natsu won't be returning with the group until it's dark out." stated Ultear.

"And you couldn't have told us about that sooner Ultear?" asked Macao with a glare.

"You never asked, and I kind of wanted to hear your interview with Jason." replied Ultear with a grin.

"Whatever, I am going inside to get a drink." stated Macao as he walked into the guild.

"Well I am going to go join him." said Wakaba as he followed Macao into the guild.

"So Ultear, would you mind if I asked you a few questions now that it's just the two of us?" asked Jason.

"If you are trying to ask me out Jason, sorry but I am taken." replied Ultear with a smirk.

"I was actually going to ask you about your relationship with Natsu since from what I've heard you two are always together and even live in the same house." said Jason.

"Sorry Jason but I am not going to answer any questions that are so personal." said Ultear.

"So you're not denying anything that I just said?" asked Jason.

"No comment Jason and I think that I am done talking with you." said Ultear as she headed towards the guild.

"Fine by me Ultear, oh and I will be stopping by later to try and get that interview with Natsu. Even though I have enough here for the rest of the month." stated Jason.

"Here's my advice Jason, be happy with what you have right now because you might not get anymore." said Ultear before she went into the guild hall.

"That is not bad advice Ultear, but I still have to try I just might wait a bit." said Jason as he left the grounds of Fairy Tail.

 **One month later:**

"So Master Macao have you decided when you are going to have the S-Class exams yet?" asked Ultear who was sitting at the bar with him.

"Crap I didn't even start thinking about that since I made Natsu and you two S-Class this year." replied Macao as he pinched the bridge of his nose in thought.

"Well you better Master Macao because there are a lot of mages fighting for it." stated Meredy as she started to make a check list in her head of possible people.

"Yea like me for one, since I am at least at Meredy's level." stated Kagura who was also at the bar with them.

"Man I don't know what I am even supposed to do for one of these things." stated Macao as he dropped his head onto the counter.

"And he is our fearless Master." stated Wakaba who started to chuckle at his friend.

"Well what did Master Makarov do before?" asked Ultear who had no idea how something like this worked for a normal guild, which Fairy Tail was not.

"Master Makarov would usually come up with tests that would test them on the certain skills that are required for an S-Class mage. And it would only be possible for one mage to become S-Class each year, because that was all that the Council would allow for a guild to promote each year." explained Macao with his head still on the counter.

"Well that last one on longer applies to us." stated Wakaba with a smug grin on his face.

"That's good because that was a really stupid rule to have, especially if you actually have multiple mages that are qualified to be S-Class." said Ultear with a slightly angry expression on her face because of such a stupid rule.

"Eight different members!" shouted Meredy surprising everyone at the bar.

"What in the world are you talking about Meredy?" asked Kagura who was right next to Meredy.

"There are eight candidates for become S-Class this year in my opinion." replied Meredy with a big smile.

"And who were you thinking about Meredy?" asked Wakaba.

"They would be: Kagura, Kei, Krish, Jet, Droy, Laki, Warren and Max. And I didn't list them in any specific order if you were wondering." replied Meredy.

"I am pretty sure that I just heard my name over here. So what's going on you guys?" asked Jet who appeared right behind Meredy with a one of his eyebrows raised in an inquisitive manner.

"Just talking about possible candidates for S-Class promotion this year." stated Ultear and then finished her drink in one go.

"Oh we're going to do that this year, I thought that we weren't since you three got promoted already?" asked Jet.

"We were a very special case Jet, so why should you guys get punished because of that." replied Ultear.

"Oh my god everyone else is going to get so excited when they hear this." said Jet with a smile spread across his lips.

"Wait a minute Jet's right, I don't have to have an exam this year if I don't want to." said Macao as he raised his head from the counter with a smile on his face.

"Well it might be a little late for that Master Macao since Jet is already telling most of the candidates that I mentioned." said Meredy as she pointed at Jet who was talking with Laki who then hugged him after listening to what he just said.

"Shit, why didn't I think of that before Jet learned about it. Now I have to do these exams and I still have no idea what to do." said Macao as he dropped his head once again onto the counter.

"Don't worry Master Macao, you have the help of your advisor and your S-Class mages if you need us." said Ultear with a soft and caring smile.

"Come on Master Macao, it won't really be that hard. And like Ultear said you have us if you ever need us." said Natsu while coming in through the back doors with Sting and Rogue being slung underneath his arms.

"That's easy for you since you don't have to come up with the challenge Natsu." mumbled Macao with his head still on the counter.

"That's easy Master Macao just make it a battle royal and the top person becomes the next S-Class mage." said Natsu as he set down the two boys who were passed out onto a table.

"Now that sounds like the old Natsu." stated Wakaba with a big smile.

"Sorry Natsu but that won't test them for things that are needed to be an S-Class mage." said Ultear as she moved off of her stool so Natsu could have it.

"Ultear you know that you don't have to do that." stated Natsu who rather than sitting on her stool sat on top of the bar counter.

"Come on Natsu you know that I like sitting on you lap." said Ultear with a sly grin.

"Yes I do and usually I don't mind it at all but today has been pretty exhausting for me. And those two are close to completing that physical training that I set for them, they did all of the exercises today and actually battled me for an hour." said Natsu as he looked at the two younger dragon slayers and couldn't be more proud of how hard they were trying.

"You can't be serious Natsu, they did all of that stuff you tried to have us do a month ago?" asked Meredy with a surprised face.

"Yep, I give them another week or two and then I can start teaching them moves that they will be able to practice while I help out with other members." said Natsu after he downed a pitcher of Water that Kinana gave him.

"They were able to achieve all of that in just a month." said Meredy still not believing him.

"Yep but physical stuff comes really easy for dragon slayers, once they get to some complicated spells we'll see how well those two do." replied Natsu.

"Does that mean they'll be able to help you out with the drakes?" asked Wakaba.

"Not for at least two years Wakaba and even then they still might not be ready for that. I mean it was extremely lucky that I didn't die to that first one and I had way more experience than those two." answered Natsu with a frown.

"But you didn't have a teacher who had already dealt with drakes and could teach you what to look out for and other things that you know now." said Kagura.

"And that is why I was guessing that they might be ready in two years if I am lucky." said Natsu as he let out a sigh.

"Well at least a new dra…" said Wakaba but was cut off by Natsu.

"Don't you dare finish that sentence Wakaba, I have really enjoyed these last two months without having to deal with any of them." Natsu growled out with an angry expression just from remembering what the last one did to that town.

"Sorry Natsu." whimpered Wakaba who had just received his first real glare from Natsu.

"Where are Alzack and Bisca, I haven't seen much of those two pretty much since I we came back from doing those S-Class jobs." stated Natsu just now noticing that he barely saw them.

"They're just being a young couple in love, spending every second together and going on a lot of missions together." said Macao who was brought out of his moping because of his need to share some info on the couple.

"Good for those two, but I am afraid that they are going to fall behind the rest of the guild soon." stated Natsu since they were pretty much the only two members who hadn't trained with him at all. So Natsu really had no idea where they were at in power making him concerned about the two of them.

"No need to worry about that Natsu, those two have been doing tons of A-Class quests which like you said before is one of the best ways to train and get actual experience. And I am pretty sure that those two could actually handle a lower S-Class quest while working together." said Macao to hopefully get rid of Natsu's concerns.

"I'll have to trust you on that one Master Macao, but that does remind me I think it's time I do a job." stated Natsu with a big grin.

"You're not going to take those two and be gone for a whole three months again are you Natsu?" asked Macao not knowing what he would do without Natsu and Ultear there to help him out. Well Ultear actually help fix things and Natsu would usually keep a few members busy with training or whatever he does besides that. But when Natsu was gone, all Macao ever heard was the constant question of when was he going to be back.

"Nope Master Macao, I will probably only be gone for two weeks max." replied Natsu.

"Don't you mean we'll be gone for two weeks max." said Ultear as she glared at Natsu.

"Sorry Ultear that's what I meant." said Natsu as he started to trace his scars.

"Are you going to be taking Kei and me like you promised Natsu?" asked Kagura with a not very pleased expression on her face.

"Don't worry Kagura I wasn't going to ditch you two, and why did you think I said that it'll take two weeks tops." replied Natsu now with his usual grin.

"So does that also mean that I can pick it out Natsu?" asked Meredy who was now fidgeting on her stool in excitement.

"Yes you can Meredy, but remember to not pick a hard one since we are going to have two non S-Class mages with us." stated Natsu as Meredy already took off to the S-Class request board to find a job.

"I'm on it Natsu!" Meredy shouted back.

"Natsu are you sure it's a good idea to take Kei with you since she's still afraid of fire?" asked Macao who knew Natsu wouldn't be doing this unless he was confident that they would all come back safely.

"Positive Master Macao, Kei can now handle me fighting someone else with all of my moves. But unfortunately if it's at all directed towards her she will have an episode, and I am not going to let that happen again." said Natsu as he touched a big scar on his left pectoral that all could see since he was only in his pants because that's how he trains with Sting and Rogue.

"You two still haven't told us what happened that day." said Ultear as she looked at Kagura and Natsu.

"Ultear I know you are smart enough to know what happened that day, and the reason we haven't told anyone else about it. Is because Kei already feels terrible about losing control like that and she is just finally warming up to most of the guild and I will not let her lose that over a training accident." stated Natsu in a tone that meant this conversation was done with, otherwise Natsu would be out of there.

"You know that I trust you on that Natsu, and I am proud that you are that concerned about Kei fitting in here." said Macao after he took a drink for his beer that he almost forgot about.

"I am still amazed that she was able to give you a wound that big." stated Wakaba.

"I said that we were done with that topic Wakaba or do you want to challenge me to a duel today? Because that is the second time you've said something that's gotten me angrier than what I am normally." growled Natsu as Wakaba received his second glare from Natsu and it was on the same day as his first.

"Sorry Natsu, so how about we talk about what you plan to do with that property that you own in town." said Wakaba nervously, hoping that changing the topic would calm the dragon slayer down.

"I actually have a plan that me and the Mayor are working on, and if he likes what I do with it he's actually going to put up a few more of them. Granted they all won't be the same when they are being used for their daily purposes, but they will all have the same secondary purpose that I truly hope we never have to use them for." said Natsu with a slight frown thinking about a hypothetical situation where they will be used.

"So what are you and the Mayor up to Natsu?" asked Kagura who was happy that the conversation got off of Kei and what happened that day.

"I'll tell all of you once it's done and hopefully when the Mayor is getting to work on more of them." answered Natsu as he lost his frown.

"Oh come on Natsu why won't you tell us?" asked Kinana who heard everything since she was running the bar.

"Sorry Kinana but life is more fun when there are secrets that are completely harmless like this one." replied Natsu as he enjoyed seeing all of them wanting to know what he's up to.

"Well if you won't tell us then we'll just ask Ultear." stated Kinana with a grin.

"Sorry guys but Natsu has been doing this when he goes and works with Cid and Bianca on his other secret project." replied Ultear causing everyone else to drop their mouths since she somehow didn't know either.

"Wait, Natsu has a different secret project?" asked Wakaba.

"It's not that secret Macao, I am just trying to get some things made for me and in order for Bianca or Cid to actually do it I need to be there to help." replied Natsu.

"What are you having made?" asked Kinana.

"Some weapons and a new outfit." answered Natsu with a grin.

"Thanks for being descriptive Natsu." Kinana said sarcastically.

"Glad to help." replied Natsu as his grin grew.

"So Natsu, how about we go back to that property of yours. It sounds like your main purpose for it is going to be hidden so what is its other purpose going to be if you don't mind telling us?" asked Macao after taking a swig of his beer.

"That is something that I was actually going to talk to you about Macao, so might as well ask you right now. I know this chef who was looking to expand and since I am one of his best customers we've become close friends which is how I know this. So we decided that we would open up a restaurant together and he was thinking that it would be a good idea to have it Fairy Tail themed." answered Natsu.

"Are you saying that you are going to own part of a restaurant?" asked Wakaba in disbelief.

"Yep if Macao says that it's okay to have it based off of Fairy Tail that is." replied Natsu as he looked at Macao to get his answer.

"And what do you mean by that Natsu?" asked Macao with a skeptical look on his face.

"Well what Kenta, who is the chef that I was talking about earlier, was thinking was that it should look like our old building did but have its insides look like our main guild hall does now. He said that he thinks that people would enjoy being able to get a feel of what Fairy Tail is like without the risk of getting caught up in our brawls which we actually haven't had in a while." said Natsu as he grinned at all the fond memories he's had brawling at Fairy Tail.

"That's because you aren't starting them anymore Natsu, and please continue explaining this restaurant. I can only assume that there's more to this otherwise you really wouldn't need to ask for my permission." stated Macao who was intrigued by this idea.

"There is, Kenta wants to serve everything that we do here while also adding a few of his own dishes that would be inspired by members of Fairy Tail. He would also like to serve every members favorite dish if they are willing to tell him what it is, Kenta also said that if I could get photos of members to hang up there it would make it feel more authentic according to him. Those are the parts that I know I need to get your permission on before I get to work on it with Kenta." said Natsu as he continued to wait for Macao's response.

"And what does Fairy Tail get out of this?" asked Macao.

"Of course you would think about jewels Master Macao." replied Natsu as he glared at his Master.

"I only started to think this way when you guys made me Master of Fairy Tail so deal with it Natsu. And for your information it takes a lot of jewels to keep Fairy Tail up and running." stated Macao as he glared back.

"Whatever Master Macao, you can take my share of the profits after I pay the city for property taxes which is such a rip off. I mean I don't have to pay anything for my house in the woods." said Natsu as he got angry that he had to keep paying for something that he already owns.

"I don't know Natsu, it sounds like it will have a few of our personal things displayed for everyone to see." said Macao.

"You'll get final say on what stuff can be hung up on the walls and how much information Kenta can share about each member if at all. I for one don't want any of our younger members on display there at all, especially Sting and Rogue." said Natsu hoping that it would be enough to get Macao to agree, because otherwise he had no idea what to put there at all if this idea was shot down.

"I still don't know Natsu." responded Macao.

"Oh come on Master Macao I am willing to give Fairy Tail all of my profit here. Okay if that isn't enough there will be enough room that we should be able to make a bigger gift shop than the one we already have here and it will be connected to a successful restaurant so it will see more business." said Natsu in an irritated tone.

"Now that is a deal that I can agree to as long as you tell me what the other purpose of this place will be." said Macao with a big grin.

"You are really lucky Master Macao that I really want this for Kenta, I'll tell you but you can't tell anyone else until the Mayor start's to make more of them which will mean that it succeeded." said Natsu after letting out a long and tired sigh.

"Deal Natsu." said Macao as they shook hands and then Natsu whispered his plans to Macao.

"Oh come on Natsu why can't you tell the rest of us?" asked Meredy who returned to the group a long time ago.

"Because if the Mayor doesn't agree to this then it will be a giant waste of my time and money, also why are you all so interested in it?" said Natsu who really looked tired right now.

"That's because you usually don't have any secrets at all Natsu, so we want to know what your first big one is." explained Kinana while everyone else nodded in agreement.

"Well it should be done within the next two months so I'll tell you all then." said Natsu as he stretched out on the counter enjoying the cold hard surface against his back.

"But that is so long away Natsu." whined Meredy as she used her puppy dog eyes on Natsu.

"Sorry Meredy I am seriously too tired for that to work, oh and what job did you pick?" asked Natsu as he smiled at her.

"An extermination mission of some sort of fire breathing monster." replied Meredy with her usual smile.

"Meredy why would you pick a mission like that when you know that Kei is coming along?" asked Natsu in a disappointed tone.

"Because she needs to get over it Natsu, if she doesn't than our enemies could use that against her. And since you've already made such great work with her already this might be the final push that she needs to get over it." said Meredy as she glared at Natsu.

"Well go pick another one Meredy in case Kei doesn't want to go on that one." said Natsu in his normal voice.

"I figured you might say that so I already grabbed a different one, and it is a job where we're supposed to track down some stolen artifact that's really rare. But that one sounds so boring Natsu since you'll be able to find the thief easily and won't even need any of us." replied Meredy.

"And it wouldn't be the same if we did the fire monster, since those things never stand a chance against me." refuted Natsu as he rolled his eyes.

"I was assuming that you would just be our support on that one since like you said fire monsters don't stand a chance against you Natsu." said Meredy.

"I would be fine with that Meredy, but it's all up to Kei as to which one we're going to do." said Natsu as Alzack and Bisca walked into the guild holding hands.

"So how did your job go you two?" asked Macao knowing that they completed it with no problems.

"Fine like always Master Macao, but we have better news." said Alzack with a big grin.

"Oh and what would that be Alzack?" asked Macao.

"We're engaged!" shouted Bisca with a huge smile as she showed the engagement ring that Alzack got her. Then the next few minutes consisted of congratulations and Bisca telling them how Alzack proposed to her and how it was the most romantic thing that she's ever seen.

"So when's the wedding?" asked Macao as he took the cork off of the fourth bottle of champagne.

"We've decided to have it in a month; it's not going to be anything big or fancy. We both just want it to be Fairy Tail and other close family and friends." answered Alzack while having the biggest smile possible on his face and it looked like it was going to stay that way for a while.

"Now don't get me wrong here you two I am really happy for you both, but aren't you two moving a little fast?" asked Wakaba.

"Not at all Wakaba, we've both liked each other for a very long time now." stated Bisca with a soft smile.

"We both also thought that life is too short to wait around when we both want this." said Alzack as he then kissed Bisca who had been in his arms this whole time.

"That is so true Alzack, now only if someone else thought the same way." said Ultear as she glared at Natsu.

"Hey what are you looking at me for Ultear, I know life's short which is why I am always try to have as much fun as possible." replied Natsu with a grin as everyone else shook their heads at how clueless Natsu could still be sometimes.

"Natsu what I am trying to…" said Ultear but was cut off by the appearance of Doranbolt.

"Please say you just wanted to see my beautiful face?" asked Natsu knowing the answer already.

"I wish that was my reason Natsu, another one showed up and is acting really strange. It landed in a desolate location and every once in a while it lets out a roar, and unfortunately it got to where it is now without us knowing about it." said Doranbolt with a frown.

"You just had to say it didn't you Wakaba, and the Council needs to figure out how to detect them faster otherwise we're going to have another town suffer the same fate as Senna." said Natsu as he hopped off of the bar and got his other clothes.

"They have been trying to come up with something Natsu but so far nothing is working and they can't really test them." stated Doranbolt.

"And they probably won't be able to, I was meaning something like having Rune Knights always on watch for drakes at towns with someone ready to call you as soon as they see one." said Natsu as he put on the rest of his outfit.

"I will have the Council do that right away Natsu, so do you have any idea what the drake is doing?" asked Doranbolt.

"I seriously can't believe that I had to be the one to tell the Council to start doing that. As for what the drake is doing, it's challenging me to a fight which means that talking it out of this will already be impossible. It also feels like every time I am about to have fun a drake shows up and ruins my day, well let's get this over with Doranbolt." said Natsu as he grabbed Doranbolt's shoulder and they disappeared.

"And that right there is another reason along with the Tenrou group disappearing, as to why we both decided that there was no point in waiting since you never know when it might all end or simply disappear." explained Bisca with a slight frown.

"It makes sense when you think about it that way." said Macao as almost everyone else nodded their heads in agreement as the mood that used to be so joyful became a little depressing.

"Come on everybody, Natsu would be disappointed if he knew that him just leaving caused us to get depressed. Besides he's going to be back in a few hours wanting to celebrate your engagement." said Meredy in a cheerful voice.

"Yea, Meredy's right guys so let's celebrate and get the rest of the guild to join in with us." said Ultear with a big smile, while she couldn't help but be concerned about their pink haired dragon slayer as the rest of the guild realized that Meredy and Ultear were right and the mood once again became one of joy.

 **With Natsu and Doranbolt:**

"Shit I forgot to have Macao top me off, dammit that's going to make this even harder." said Natsu with a pissed off face as they appeared about a mile away from the drake that was issuing a challenge to Natsu.

"What are you talking about Natsu?" asked Doranbolt with obvious concern in his voice.

"I am just a little low on magic is all, but I think that I should be fine." said Natsu as he gave Doranbolt a confident grin.

"We'll that's not good enough for me." said Doranbolt as he grabbed Natsu and teleported to a place that Natsu had never seen before. There was a volcano going off in the back ground and everything looked like it was burnt or had been slightly singed. But the thing that caught Natsu's attention was the constant jet of fire coming out of the ground just a few yards away from him.

"We don't have all day Natsu, so for the love of god get your magic back so you don't die to that drake that we still don't know it's type of magic is yet." said Doranbolt which snapped Natsu out of his shock and got him to start sucking in those flames that just kept coming for the next ten minutes to Doranbolt's surprise.

"Damn was that delicious, so where the hell did you just take me Doranbolt?" asked Natsu with a smile since that was literally some of the best fire he's ever had.

"I'll tell you after you beat that drake." said Doranbolt as he grabbed Natsu and teleported him back to the drake hoping that it was still going to be there, and luckily it was.

"I am going to hold you to that Doranbolt, but it looks like duty is calling so sit back and enjoy the show." said Natsu with a confident smirk as he headed to the drake that was just now letting out a loud roar. This drake was probably the biggest one yet and it was completely pitch black with red eyes that just screamed murder to Natsu.

"Well let's get this party started shall we." said Natsu as he then let out a roar that easily out powered the drakes causing it to finally take notice of Natsu and waited for him to get closer.

"That is quite the roar that you have their Slayer." said the drake in a deep gravelly voice.

"Thanks drake, so why are you challenging me?" asked Natsu who was now only ten yards from the intimidating drake.

"Because I was curious to see what was protecting these lands, and I can honestly say that I didn't expect it to be a dragon slayer. A dragon maybe since they seem to have a soft spot for humans for some reason but an actual dragon slayer is a real surprise." answered the drake that wasn't even in a fighting stance yet.

"I have been told that I am full of surprises drake, so why are you and your kind coming to these lands after abandoning them so long ago?" asked Natsu as he confidently stood in front of the drake.

"Aren't you the curious little slayer." chuckled the drake as it grinned at Natsu.

"I just want to know why you are all so dead set on fighting me or causing mass destruction for the citizens of this country?" asked Natsu with some venom in his voice.

"I don't know why the other drakes wanted to fight you slayer, but as for why we cause destruction and death. Well that is just what we drakes do when we see those vile humans that you are protecting for some reason, most likely because your dragon said that they were good deep down inside and deserve your protection. Well guess what Slayer they are just as brutal and willing to kill us as we are to them." stated the black drake while tilting his head to get a better look at Natsu.

"I have seen what humans are capable of doing when they are lead astray drake, but I have also seen all the good that they can do when set on the right path. Which is something I hope to see from some of you drakes, but I can already tell that you won't be one of them and that I won't be able to talk you out of not going on a killing spree if I don't stop you here. So why don't we start that fight that you wanted so I can add another stupid drake to my tally." said Natsu as he then got into his fighting stance.

"HAHAHAHAHA you are quite smart Slayer and very interesting. What is your name Slayer because I know that this is going to be an interesting fight no matter how it ends?" asked the black drake as he got into his own fighting stance.

"My name is Natsu Dragneel son of the Fire Dragon King Igneel." stated Natsu as he got ready for the drake to attack any second now.

"Well that helps explain why you are able to do such extraordinary things when you are still just a hatchling Dragneel. Igneel is one of the few dragons that I still respect that sided with the humans since he was one to not be trifled with in battle, not even a pack of drakes were able to stand against his might. Since you are a worthy opponent Dragneel, my name is Razeth and I will be your end son of Igneel." said the black drake as smoke started to come off of his body and linger in the air.

"So you're a smoke drake?" asked Natsu waiting for Razeth to make the first move.

"Yes I am Dragneel and I can see that you haven't dealt with my specific kind of drake, otherwise you wouldn't be standing there so confidently." replied Razeth who was waiting for Natsu to strike first.

"That's what they all say Razeth, but what I've learned is that my fire can burn through it all." stated Natsu as he got ready to unleash a roar which was a standard way to start a duel since it seemed that neither of them were willing to do anything unusual.

"HAHAHAHA I love that confidence you have Dragneel but like I said before you haven't dealt with my smoke before." said Razeth as he then started to charge up his roar to start this duel off the traditional way since Natsu wasn't dumb enough to charge in blindly.

" **FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!** " shouted Natsu as he sent out his roar that instantly collided with Razeth's own roar. The two roars battled it out for a while and finally ended in a draw but now the area that they were in was slightly covered in a thin layer of smoke that wasn't too bad to see through.

"Impressive Dragneel, you were able to match my roar at full power." said Razeth who then lunged at Natsu not letting him get out a response. Natsu easily dodged the lunge by Razeth with a quick roll to the right and then countered with his **FIRE DRAGON'S BOLTS** shooting fire at the back side of Razeth who just shrugged them off.

"Come on Dragneel stop playing around and come at me." taunted Razeth with a huge smirk.

"Fine Razeth, how's this **FIRE DRAGON'S SCORCHING CLAW!"** shouted Natsu who was now right next to Razeth, to the drake's complete surprise. Natsu landed a huge upper cut to Razeth that dealt more damage to the drake thanks to the flames coming out of Natsu's elbow that enhanced the punch.

" **FIRE DRAGON'S PIERCING CLAWS!** " shouted Natsu as he took advantage of getting the drop on Razeth thanks to the drake not expecting him to be so fast. And Natsu started to swing away at Razeth trying to land as many hits on the smoke drake as possible. It was only ten hits before Razeth got his defenses up and was actually now countering with his own swipes of his claws covered in smoke that were leaving trails of smoke in the air making it harder to see every second that this fight took.

"Dragneel you are quite the dragon slayer, and Igneel would be proud of you. You've just given me my first real fight in the last fifty years, and that includes every dispute that I have had with another drake." said Razeth while he and Natsu continued to fight each other as the smoke got thicker and thicker.

"Thanks Razeth, but I think it's time to get rid of this smoke that you're trying to use as cover. **FIRE DRAGON'S IMPLOSION!** " shouted Natsu as he dodged a swipe from Razeth smashed his fists together causing a huge explosion to originate from him. But as soon as it ended Natsu was stunned to see that the smoke was still there and it looked like it might have gotten thicker after that move.

"That was quite the move Dragneel, it hurt like hell but I can see that you were hoping to get rid of this beautiful smoke that's making it hard for you to see and breathe." said Razeth as he got up from the ground a few yards way.

"I can breathe fine Razeth but neither of us can see through this smoke." replied Natsu with a growl since every god damn drake kept doing this to him and he was sick of it.

"Oh that's where you're wrong Dragneel, I can see just fine!" shouted Razeth who then unleashed a quick roar at Natsu. Who wasn't ready for it so Natsu had to just dodge it rather than countering it like he would have wanted to.

"Shit!" shouted Natsu as he realized that Razeth was only doing that to make it impossible for him to see what was going on, which it now most definitely was.

"Now it's my turn Dragneel so get ready to be in loads of pain." said Rezeth as he continued to unload smoke from his body as he stalked around Natsu who for some reason stopped moving and closed his eyes. Razeth seeing no reason to not take this opportunity lunged at Natsu ready to bit him in half and finish this fight right now. But Razeth was surprised when Natsu rolled out of the way and landed a **FIRE DRAGON'S PIERCING CLAW** to his side.

"We'll see about that Razeth, you drakes all have the same strategy when facing an opponent that is as strong as you are. And that is to take away one of the things that they usually rely on while fighting such as there sight since that is the easiest to take away. So after figuring that out I trained for a full month with a friend of mine without using my eyes while fighting." said Natsu as a smirk made its way across his face. But was instantly lost when he had to dodge a swipe from right behind him.

Due to being completely surprised by that Natsu received three long cuts on his back that he had to seal up right away knowing that this was going to be a long battle. But what really bothered Natsu was that there was absolutely no way for Razeth to be there since he just landed a blow that threw the drake the other direction.

"What were you saying before Dragneel, because it seems like I was able to get the drop on you." said Razeth from behind Natsu.

"That was just luck Razeth." replied Natsu as he listened to the drake that was barely making a noise as it walked around.

"Are you sure Dragneel." said Razeth who was instantly on the opposite side of where Natsu thought that he was at.

"Let's get back to the fun Dragneel, and if you could start screaming that would make this so much better for me." said Razeth who was somehow back to where Natsu initially thought he was. Natsu knew that this had to be some sort of trick that he just needed to figure out before it was too late.

So for the next five minutes Natsu was constantly getting hit and cut by Razeth when it should have been impossible for him to be there. Natsu knew that he had to come up with something fast otherwise this was going to be the end for him. This would most likely be the end of Fairy Tail also since drakes are known to hold grudges and would gladly go and wipe any traces of the once great Salamander of the face of the world. Once they figured out where he came from and who he cared about.

 **Earlier with Doranbolt:**

"Shit this is not the ideal situation for Natsu." thought Doranbolt as he watched the battlefield become smokier as the fight continued on.

"Come on Natsu, just finish this drake off already." thought Doranbolt as he could no longer see any more of the fight since the smoke was too thick. Doranbolt happened to look to the skies since he could no longer see the battle and what he saw made him extremely concerned for Natsu's well-being and the rest of Fiore's for that matter.

Because diving from the sky was another black drake that looked identical to the first one that Natsu was fighting. Doranbolt just stood there as the second drake swooped into the giant cloud of smoke and started to do who knows what to the unaware dragon slayer in the middle of that cloud.

And for the next five minutes Doranbolt didn't know what to do in this situation as he could hear the occasional scream of pain from Natsu which was usually followed up by curses and the occasional blast of flames being seen in the cloud. Doranbolt knew that he didn't have a chance of taking on the drakes but he could maybe get to Natsu in time and get him out of there before he dies. Because one thing Doranbolt knew was that he was never going to let what happened on Tenrou Island ever happen again while he was still alive and could do something.

With that in mind Doranbolt teleported into the thick smoke and instantly started to cough because of how dense it was. But he wasn't going to let something that small stop him from saving Natsu from the two drakes, so he stumbled blindly towards the sound of the battle.

"NATSU!" shouted Doranbolt while coughing and not being able to stop.

"Doranbolt what the hell are you doing here?" asked Natsu who was extremely pissed off.

"To warn you!" shouted Doranbolt from somewhere inside of the smoke and unable to continue thanks to the smoke making it impossible for him to breath without inhaling tons of smoke that then caused him to cough more.

"Oh so you decide to bring one of your friends to help Dragneel." said Razeth from Natsu's right side.

"Too bad he's just going to be a little snack before I finish you off Dragneel." said Razeth from Natsu's left side while chuckling. Right then Natsu figured it out and was cursing himself for letting them pull such an easy trick on him, when he knew that they were known to hunt in pairs quite often.

"Doranbolt get the hell out of here, I finally understand what's going on and thanks for the warning." shouted Natsu as he started to formulate a plan.

"Can't breathe, sorry Natsu." choked out Doranbolt as he fell to the ground.

"HAHAHAH looks like he's going to be done for and we don't even have to do anything Nazeth." laughed Razeth.

"That is so true Razeth, but I am impressed that you figured out our little deception before we killed you Dragneel. Most don't survive as long as you have, but that is going to all come to an end here in just a few minutes son of Igneel." said Nazeth with a chuckle.

Everything slowed down for Natsu right now because in his opinion one of the worst things that could have happened, just did. He had always been counting on Doranbolt being able to get away and warn the Council and Fairy Tail if he ever died while fighting drakes. Natsu was also relying on Doranbolt telling the Council everything that he had been telling him over the past few months about drakes and what they were known to do. But all of that was going down the shitter right now since Doranbolt thought that he needed help, which Natsu did in fact need but all Doranbolt did was make it way worse than it already was.

"Looks like your friend is about to take his last breath Dragneel." said Nazeth as he circled around Natsu.

"But don't worry Dragneel you'll be following right after him." said Razeth as he too circled around Natsu.

"Like hell I'll let that happen!" shouted Natsu as he released an astonishing amount of magic that shot into the sky as a flaming pillar and caused the two drakes to shield themselves from the blast. Both drakes then heard the sounds of someone sucking in a lot of air, and when they both looked they were completely blown away by what they saw.

There Natsu was inhaling all of their smoke as if it was fire, which was supposed to be the only thing that he should be able to eat since he was a fire dragon slayer. But here Natsu was quickly getting rid of all of their cover in a matter of seconds, and not only that but he was also getting the smoke out of the man collapsed on the ground.

"How is this happening Razeth?" asked Nazeth in complete shock and horror.

"I have no idea Nazeth, but doesn't Dragneel look different." stated Razeth as he took notice that Natsu's arms were now covered in red scales from his elbows to his hands which now had razor sharp claws. But that wasn't the only change with Natsu, he looked like he was now slightly bigger and his eyes were now just red slits like that of a dragon and his fangs were bigger than before.

"So are you two drakes ready to leave this world and never return?" asked Natsu in a deep voice as black smoke started to leak from his body as he glared at the two drakes.

"What did you just do Dragneel?" asked a slightly scared Nazeth.

"I have finally achieved stage two of dragon force Nazeth, **FIRE DRAGON'S PIERCING CLAW!** " shouted Natsu as he appeared right next to the already weakened Razeth and cut his right wing off in a quick swipe causing said drake to roar out in pain, but was quickly silenced by Natsu.

" **FIRE DRAGON'S CRUSHING ELBOW!** " shouted Natsu as he smashed Razeth's head into the ground and then turned to an oncoming roar of smoke sent at him by Nazeth, which he simply inhaled with a giant smirk.

"Not too bright are you Nazeth, now watch as your brother dies because you two were foolish enough to try and battle me. **FIRE DRAGON'S CRUSHING TALON!** " shouted Natsu as he smashed his foot right through Razeth's skull killing the drake instantly, thanks to his enhanced strength and extra boost that the flames coming off of his knee gave.

"I'll kill you Dragneel!" shouted Nazeth as he lunged at Natsu. Who remained calm and blocked or dodged all of Nazeth's attacks always waiting for the right time to launch a **FIRE DRAGON'S PIERCING CLAW** that went through Nazeth's scales quite easily thanks to Natsu's new claws.

"I'll kill you and all of your loved ones Dragneel, all because you killed my brother!" shouted Nazeth after fighting Natsu for ten more minutes and was now not looking too good but didn't seem to care at all, because he now only had eyes for Natsu and wanted to watch him die.

"I have the same thoughts when someone threatens the ones that I care about Nazeth, which is why I am going to finish this now." said Natsu as he dodged an attack by Nazeth allowing him to grab one of the drakes horns and hold him steady as he unleashed a **FIRE DRAGON'S ROARING INFERNO** right on his head.

While doing this Natsu felt a sharp pain shoot through his lower back on the right side, but he just ignored it while he continued to roast the drake's head until he was confident that Nazeth was dead. Once he was done with that Natsu let go of the horn or spike, it really depends on what you consider horns, and let out a long and loud triumphant roar into the sky. Once again letting all near, know that he was the victor.

Now that he wasn't fighting for his life Natsu gave himself a once over and instantly knew what caused that sharp pain earlier. Because sticking out from his right side were the tips of two of Nazeth's claws, making Natsu once again realize how lucky he was with things like this. So with a lot of grunting and cursing Natsu pulled out the claws and sealed his wounds that started to leak blood and smoke, which really concerned Natsu since he's never leaked fire before. But Natsu decided that he would look into that later since he needed to make sure that Doranbolt was alright.

"Hey Doranbolt are you alright." asked Natsu while wincing from all of the pain that he was in right now. But Natsu got no response from the man on the ground, so Natsu got down to make sure that he was breathing and was glad to hear the quiet noise of Doranbolt's lungs doing their job.

"Well thank Mavis you didn't die on me you idiot, what the hell would I do to get to all of these places if you weren't here." said Natsu as he made his way to one of the corpses and got to work like he usually did but this time slower because of how much pain he was in. After he finished with the first one he moved onto the next one and even took longer to do that one since he was now extremely tired and felt like he was going to pass out.

"What the hell happened?" asked Doranbolt as he woke up and looked around to see the burning bodies of two drakes and Natsu in the middle with some smoke coming off of him while covered in blood and gore like he usually would be after disposing of a drake's body.

"I won of course." stated Natsu with a grin as he then fell flat on his face and didn't move while smoke still came off of him.

"Natsu!" shouted Doranbolt as he scampered over to his still body that was still smoldering.

 **End of Chapter**

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Thanks for reading my story and I really hope that you enjoyed it. So there you have it, the first appearance of two drakes at the same time and will definitely not be the last. As I am sure you can all tell I will be giving smoke as Natsu's second element since he didn't get to obtain lightning from Laxus because he was a little late to that party. Also it will take Natsu a long time to get this new smoke power down and will still go to his fire right away when in a fight, but I would love to hear your opinion on all of this. I also want to point out that I probably won't be updating this story as fast as I have been since I need to work on some of my other ones, just thought I should give you guys that heads up. So as always feel free to leave me a review and I will try and respond back to you.**

 **Until the next Chapter**

 **Digem Out!**


	10. The Council Steps In

Ch 10: The Council Steps In

 **At Fairy Tail:**

It had only been about an hour and half since Natsu and Doranbolt left to go and deal with the drake. But thanks to Meredy and Ultear Fairy Tail was once again celebrating the engagement of Alzack and Bisca in the usual Fairy Tail fashion which meant drinking and laughing with of course the occasional brawl breaking out. This was all gone in an instant when the two returned in a manner that no one expected.

"He needs help right now!" shouted Doranbolt as he appeared in the middle of the guild covered in ash. But what shocked the guild the most was seeing that in Doranbolt's arms was Natsu who wasn't moving and had now received more wounds that could easily be seen by the fresh scars standing out all over his body. That wasn't what shocked the guild into silence, it was the fact that Natsu was literally smoldering with smoking coming from his body continuously.

"What the hell are you doing just staring, Natsu needs help now!" shouted Doranbolt with anger in his voice since Fairy Tail wasn't helping him right now.

"Jet go and get Porlyusica as fast as you can, Doranbolt please take him to the infirmary where we'll tend to him as good as we can until Porlyusica gets here." said Macao causing everyone to snap out of their shock and do as Master Macao said.

"How could this happen?" asked Laki as everyone watched Macao and Natsu's usual group go into the infirmary.

"He's always said that fighting drakes was dangerous." stated Max with a frown.

"There's no way a drake could do that to Salamander!" shouted Sting as he glared at the rest of the guild.

"Then what did Sting, because right now drakes are probably the only things that I can think of that would fight Natsu and be able to actually hurt him?" asked Warren.

"I don't know but there is no way that a drake made Salamander start smoking!" shouted Sting as he took off to the infirmary.

"Sting wait just a second!" shouted Rogue as he took off after his best friend.

"Why was Natsu literally having smoke come from him, and I wasn't just seeing things right?" asked Alzack who now had definitely lost all thoughts of celebrating right now.

"No you didn't Alzack, he actually had smoke billowing from his body which is definitely new." stated Bisca with a small frown and was now wondering why this had to happen. Didn't Fairy Tail suffer enough by losing the Tenrou group; they definitely couldn't deal with losing Natsu now after him doing so much for the guild.

"He's going to be okay like he always is right?" asked Kinana who was looking at the infirmary doors where the two young dragon slayers where now just standing.

"Of course he is, this is Natsu we're talking about here who fought and survived against Achnologia." stated Wakaba from the bar.

"I sure hope you're right about that Wakaba because we along with the rest of Fiore need Natsu." said Droy who was waiting nervously for Jet to return.

"So back to Natsu smoking, what do you think could have caused that?" asked Nab with a concerned look on his face.

"That I literally have no idea of how it could happen." answered Wakaba as everyone else also thought for a few minutes trying to come up with a reason but got nothing.

"We could just ask Sting and Rogue." suggested Kinana as she pointed at the two who were still just standing outside of the infirmary not moving around like Sting usually would.

"And how would they know?" asked Max.

"Because they are obviously listening in on what's happening inside of there right now." replied Kinana as everyone now remembered that the two boys were dragon slayers and could easily hear what was being said inside of the infirmary.

"Where is that foolish brat of Makarov's that's always trying to get himself killed?" asked a very grumpy Porlyusica effectively ending the previous conversation with just her mere appearance.

"He's in the infirmary like he always is whenever we've had to call you." replied Wakaba with a small smile.

"I wouldn't call being grabbed and taken here before I've given my response a call." stated Porlyusica as she headed towards the infirmary.

"What does she mean by that?" asked Laki.

"Get out of my way you two." said Porlyusica as she pushed Sting and Rogue out of the way and entered the Infirmary.

"Well you see I didn't want to waste time arguing with her while Natsu's life might be in danger." replied Jet with a sheepish grin that used to be seen on Natsu all of the time just a year ago.

"Thanks for doing that Jet." said Wakaba as everyone else just nodded their heads in agreement.

"So do we know what the hell happened to him?" asked Jet and now only getting everyone to shake their heads signifying that they didn't know.

"We were just going to ask those two to tell us." said Kinana as she once again motioned to the two dragon slayers who didn't move after being pushed to the side by Porlyusica.

"Well lets go and find out." said Jet as he turned to go and ask the two boys.

"Wait Jet, obviously things are still being explained in there right now since those two still aren't moving. Meaning that they are really focused on what's happening in there so let's wait until they've learned as much as possible." suggested Wakaba.

"I guess that makes sense." said Jet as he turned around and took a seat by Wakaba at the bar.

"So who was that lady that you brought with you Jet?" asked Krish with all of the newer members wondering the same thing.

"Her names Porlyusica and she is the unofficial healer of our guild and is old friends with Master Makarov. Otherwise she probably wouldn't help us since she really hates humans." explained Jet with a small smirk, remembering how he used to be so afraid of the older woman.

"Wait but isn't she a human?" asked Krish who was now officially confused.

"Yes she is Krish but that doesn't mean she can't hate humans for being as destructive and stupid as we are." stated Wakaba who had a similar conversation with Makarov a few years back.

"So what are we going to do now?" asked Bisca as she looked at Wakaba.

"I would suggest that we wait until those two fill us in on what went on in there, or what I think is very unlikely to happen is TM Macao telling us what happened to Natsu." said Wakaba as he puffed way on his pipe.

"I really hate waiting around." said Jet with a frown as everyone else nodded their heads in agreement.

 **In the Infirmary:**

"That's all you know?" shouted Ultear who wasn't happy at how little Doranbolt knew.

"Yes and I am sorry that I couldn't help out more." replied Doranbolt with his head hung in shame.

"Lady would you please refrain from shouting like that while I am working on him." stated Porlyusica as she examined Natsu trying to figure out what happened to him.

"Doranbolt you have already helped enough by just bringing him back to us alive and Ultear is just a little worked up right now." said Macao as he tried to piece together what really happened.

"I can't believe that he was fighting two drakes while not having the use of his sight." stated Kagura who still couldn't get over that fact.

"I am just as surprised as you are Kagura, one moment I am passing out thinking that was it for me and then the next minute I wake up to Natsu standing in between the corpses of two drakes being reduced to ash like he always does." said Doranbolt who was wondering how it all happened.

"And you're saying that there wasn't any smoke surrounding you when you woke up?" asked Meredy with a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Yeah which was really strange since when I teleported in to try and get to him it was everywhere." answered Doranbolt.

"You don't think he did that do you Meredy?" asked Ultear who now had even a more concerned look on her face.

"That is exactly what I think happened, which would explain everything else." replied Meredy with a small frown.

"Would you two mind filling the rest of us in?" asked Kei who couldn't help but every once in a while look over at Natsu making sure that he was still there.

"I can't believe the idiot would do something like that, especially after what happened at the tower." said Ultear as she looked at Natsu.

"Meredy could you please tell the rest of us what you think Natsu might have done?" asked Macao.

"Of course Master Macao, you all know how dragon slayers are able to eat their own element to replenish their magic?" asked Meredy and getting nods of affirmative as her response.

"Well the reason that slayers don't do that with other elements is because it's toxic to them and could actually kill them." continued Meredy.

"Oh dear god you aren't saying that you think Natsu ate all of the smoke?" asked Macao who easily connected the dots.

"Yes I do because as Ultear said earlier he did something similar at the Tower of Heaven. We all know that Natsu doesn't care about the consequences to himself if he's able to save someone who is in need, which is exactly what he did just a while ago with Doranbolt." answered Meredy with a sad expression.

"Does that mean he might die?" asked Kagura with a very concerned look on her face.

"There's definitely a chance since Natsu did something so reckless again so he might." replied Ultear who looked like she wanted to cry but wasn't letting herself.

"That's where you're wrong lady." said Porlyusica with a slight smile as she looked at all of the shocked faces of the mages in the room.

"So he didn't eat the smoke?" asked Ultear hopefully.

"No I didn't say that, what's your name since you must be a newer member?" asked Porlyusica.

"It's Ultear, that's Meredy, Kei, Kagura and Doranbolt." said Ultear quickly introducing herself and all of the other new members so that there wouldn't be any more interruptions hopefully.

"So as I was saying, Natsu did in fact eat the smoke from those drakes like the two of you thought. But the strangest thing seemed to happen, rather than dying like he should have he's seemed to have bonded with it which is why he's giving off smoke. It appears that right now his body is adapting to this which is why he's not awake right now because it needs to sort all of this out otherwise he could die." explained Porlyusica.

"What does that mean exactly?" asked Kei who didn't follow all of that.

"To explain it as simple as possible, Natsu will now be able to use smoke after all of this. It'll be a part of him just as much as his fire magic, maybe a little more since it's actually bonding with his body." answered Porlyusica.

"I have a few questions for you Porlyusica. The first one is that how are you so sure that he'll be alright since you said that if his body doesn't adapt he could die?" asked Ultear.

"Simple Ultear, that boy still has the will to keep on fighting for the things that he cares about which is half of the battle." replied Porlyusica.

"Okay my other question is what do you mean by bonding because that is the second time you've said that the smoke magic is bonding with Natsu?" asked Ultear who needed to know what the healer meant by this.

"What I meant by that is the smoke magic is literally going into every part of his body and adapting it so that it will be able to go there freely in the future, not only that but possibly be able to actually change that body part into smoke if he trains hard enough." stated Porlyusica as she started to make a new concoction out of the available potions in the infirmary.

"You're saying that Natsu will be able to turn into smoke?" asked Kei in complete shock about this.

"It's only an educated guess Kei, but I have a feeling that I am correct after hearing what he and those other two dragon slayers can do especially that one who uses steel and can actually turn his body into it. What sets Natsu apart from other fire mages is that he can't be burned, which most attributed to having the toughness of a fire dragon, which is true. But I now believe that part of it is that he is actually somewhat made up of his fire magic and for some reason was never taught or didn't think that it was possible to turn parts of his body into fire like the metal dragon slayer does. And from what I've heard, Natsu can literally have fire shoot out of any body part that he want's making it even easier to believe that the fire magic is actually part of him. If you include that and also what I just witnessed happening to Natsu right now, I am confident that he will be able to turn any body part he wants into both fire and smoke now." answered Porlyusica as she continued to work on making some better medicine for the pink haired dragon slayer.

"Wow that's incredible." said Kagura with a small smile on her face at the fact that Natsu should be fine.

"Wow indeed." stated Kei with her own smile.

"He's still an idiot for doing something like that since he knew that it could actually kill him." said Ultear who couldn't help but smile at the dragon slayer still asleep on the bed smoldering as if he was just caught on fire.

"I can't believe that he would do something like that for me, even after everything I have done." said Doranbolt with a frown.

"Doranbolt you have to stop beating yourself up over something that you couldn't have stopped. Natsu even failed at preventing it and he would be the first one to say that you have nothing to feel sorry about since he couldn't do anything either. Also he forgave you a long time ago after realizing all of that and now considers you a close friend that he needs to help save countless lives Doranbolt and would do it all over again if it meant that you would survive." said Macao with a big grin.

"But why would he do that when he's way more important than me?" asked Doranbolt.

"Because Natsu doesn't see people that way, also he's told me everything that he's told you about the drakes. And I am confident that you are his fail safe if he ever loses to one of the drakes, as much as he despises the Council he cares about the citizens of Fiore more and wants them to be looked after if he is no longer with us. Which is why he's been telling you all of that stuff about drakes." explained Macao.

"He's actually said something similar to me." replied Doranbolt with a frown.

"And that doesn't surprise me at all, Natsu is usually very upfront about what he's doing." said Macao with a small smile.

"How can he be so calm when dealing with something like what's going to happen if he dies?" asked Doranbolt who had never even thought about something like that.

"Because he has to Doranbolt, Natsu knows that every fight he gets into could be his last which is one of the reasons he's so good at it. I don't know if it's something that Igneel taught him or if it's something that he learned on his own, but just being able to accept that fact makes Natsu different than most mages, myself included. Because most of us don't like thinking about it being our final moments among the living because if we did we would most likely give up. But as you already know that has never been an option for Natsu who has always gotten back up and fought even harder than before." answered Ultear while staring at Natsu.

"How can he be so happy while thinking like that?" asked Doranbolt who thought it was kind of depressing thinking that you might just die any minute.

"It's actually because of thinking that way that Natsu is as happy as he is. Because as Natsu likes to say you have to make the most of your life while you're still living, which is another reason why he seems to do whatever he wants without thinking of the consequences as long as they don't harm his friends and family." replied Ultear.

"He is definitely one of a kind." stated Doranbolt with a faint smile as he looked at the man that just saved him.

"That he is." agreed Macao as everyone else thought the same thing.

"I just thought of something." stated Meredy loudly.

"And what is that Meredy?" asked Ultear.

"Does this mean that Natsu could do the same thing with a different element other than smoke?" asked Meredy with a small grin.

"That would be a very bad idea for him to ever try." stated Porlyusica as she glared at Meredy.

"And why is that, he's done it twice now and both times he's come out fine? Actually this time he's going to be able to do more than he could before." said Meredy as she glared back.

"It's a miracle that he survived the first time that he did this, and what did he consume that time?" asked Porlyusica.

"It was actually a combination of pretty much all sorts of different magic contained in a lacrima that he ate." answered Kagura having been told everything that happened to Natsu in the Tower of Heaven.

"Actually that was the second time that he's apparently tried something like this, a few years ago he tried to eat Laxus's lightning." interrupted Macao making sure that Porlyusica got the actual facts.

"Then he is even luckier than I thought, because eating multiple magic types at once should have really finished him off. As for what Natsu just did recently, he's incredibly lucky that he did it to smoke since that is a byproduct of his fire magic, which I believe is why his body was able to adapt to it at all and not just poison him like it would have done to any other dragon slayer." said Porlyusica as she finished her potion.

"We'll make sure that he knows all of this once he wakes up." said Ultear as she glared at Natsu for doing something so reckless and should have actually killed him.

"When will he wake up?" asked Kei with a small smile.

"Sorry Kei but that is something that I really don't know. Natsu could wake up within the hour or maybe even a year from now, what's keeping him in a coma right now is his body working on adapting to having smoke magic. Once it's done with that he'll be able to wake up from someone just yelling at him or pouring water on him which is what I assume you guys do to each other." said Porlyusica as she put the potion into smaller bottles.

"That's not good, what if another drake appears while he's still in a coma?" asked Kagura.

"Shit I wasn't even thinking about that." said Doranbolt who then walked away from the group and started to think in the corner.

"We'll deal with that if it even happens." stated Macao before they started to freak out.

"No point in worrying about something that you can't prevent." said Porlyusica with a small smile.

"That doesn't mean we can't get prepared." pointed out Kagura.

"And how do you suppose we do that Kagura when only dragon slayers can hurt drakes. So we'll all just have to have faith in Natsu making a full recovery and that his other plan gets finished before another one shows up." replied Macao who had been thinking about this for a long time and it even came up at the last Masters meeting even though most of the other Masters at that time didn't even believe that they were that big of a threat.

"None of that concerns me so I will be going, oh and give him one of those bottles a day which should help speed up the process while providing him with everything else that he needs to survive. Oh and tell him that if he ever does anything as stupid as this again I won't help him." said Porlyusica who then left before anyone could say another thing.

"She only left enough for a month." said Meredy after counting the bottles.

"Well that means she believes that at max it will take a month for Natsu to recover." said Macao optimistically.

"That's way too long for him to be here." said Ultear with a slight frown.

"Master Macao could we go and talk in your office about how we might deal with the drakes if Natsu doesn't wake up in time?" asked Doranbolt with a very serious expression on his face.

"Why don't you say it here?" asked Macao.

"Because it's something that really shouldn't be said in front of other guild members even though I know that they can be trusted." stated Doranbolt maintaining his serious face.

"What about Ultear, would it be okay if she was there to give her opinion on this proposal?" asked Macao.

"She can if that's what you want." stated Doranbolt.

"If it's okay Master Macao I would prefer if I could stay here with Natsu." said Ultear while taking a seat next to Natsu's bed.

"That's fine Ultear, I'll just get yours and Wakaba's opinion later." said Macao who then led Doranbolt to his office that had noise canceling ruins to make it so that no one could listen in.

"What are we going to tell the rest of the guild?" asked Meredy with a frown, knowing that this wasn't going to be an easy thing to tell them.

"The truth Meredy, but that is for Master Macao to do. Besides there is a really good chance that they already know considering how concerned everyone is about Natsu." replied Ultear as she held Natsu's hand in hers.

"She's probably right about that considering that there are two dragon slayers down there." pointed out Kagura who was hoping that Natsu would wake up soon.

"The only way to find out is if go down there and see for ourselves." said Kei as she turned around and headed towards the door.

"He's going to be alright Ultear, noting is going to keep the Salamander down." said Meredy with a big smile on her face as she stood in the doorway about to leave.

"You're right Meredy, I just want to be here when he wakes up." replied Ultear with a faint smile.

 **Just shy of a month later:**

"Where the hell am I?" asked Natsu as he rubbed his eyes to get the sleep out of them.

"You're in the infirmary Natsu and I would have thought that you would be accustomed to waking up in here by now with how many times this has happened to you." said Macao with a big grin on his face.

"Shut up Master Macao, and I haven't been in here that much." replied Natsu as sat up in the bed.

"Whatever you say Natsu, but man do you have the worst timing in the world while also being good at the same time." said Macao still grinning at Natsu.

"And what in the world do you mean by that Master Macao?" asked Natsu as he cracked his neck and started to do some stretches while still in bed.

"Well you've been in a coma for almost a month Natsu and Bisca and Alzack were about to push back their wedding for you. But you woke up one day before they were going to do that, which also happens to be a big day for the guild since you were out of commission." answered Macao still having the same grin on his face.

"Please stop grinning at me like that Master Macao it creeps me out and what's happening today that is important to the guild because of me being in a coma?" asked Natsu as he got out of bed doing a few more stretches.

"First off how are you not freaking out about being in a coma for almost a month?" asked Macao with a surprised look on his face.

"That's because I know what I did was extremely risky and I could have died, so just losing a month is no big deal when compared to what could have happened." replied Natsu nonchalantly.

"Well a bit of advice don't say that to Ultear or any of the other women in your group because they will put you back in one if they find out that you knew that you might die." said Macao with a very concerned look on his face.

"Thanks for the heads up on that Master Macao and I will definitely do just that." said Natsu as he started to change into a fresh set of his clothes that were folded neatly in a chair next to his bed.

"As for what's happening today we are actually getting a new member." said Macao nervously.

"That's great Master Macao but why are you starting to act weird now?" asked Natsu as he eyed the man.

"Because of who the new member is and your history with him." stated Macao now getting Natsu's full attention.

"And who might that be?" asked Natsu as he rose an eyebrow.

"It's Cobra Natsu, now before you get angry let me explain myself. You were in a coma and we didn't know if or when you were going to wake up so me and Doranbolt had to come up with a way to protect Fiore if another drake showed up since Sting and Rogue are still too young and would only get themselves killed. Doranbolt has been actually thinking about this for a long time now and was actually in the works of getting this done so that you would have support if multiple drakes showed up just like they did. The only problem was that he couldn't figure out a way to get Cobra to not betray you or us for that matter which I am now confident he won't do since you are awake and because of another reason." explained Macao.

"I got no problems with that Master Macao but I am surprised that the Council is actually giving us another dragon slayer. I was starting to think that they might start experimenting on Cobra, which is why I was actually also thinking about trying to get him to join us." stated Natsu.

"Well that's good to hear Natsu." said Macao as he wiped his forehead with the back of his hand.

"So how did you get the Council to hand him over?" asked Natsu as he finished dressing.

"That's where it gets tricky Natsu, because they know that we are very protective of our own. So the only way that they would let him join us if the rules that you established with them didn't apply to Cobra until he proved beyond a shadow of doubt that he's changed and won't go back to his old ways. Meaning that he will be on probation for the next two years and require an S-Class mage to be with him at all times when out in the public, otherwise he will be thrown back into jail. And if that happens the Council will be able to check on us once a month whenever they want." explained Macao.

"That's not too bad of a deal for everyone, the Council can now say that they are actually doing something about the drakes other than letting me do all of the work. While we on the other hand get another strong member that can actually help me with the drakes, but what was this other reason that Cobra won't betray us other than me not letting him?" asked Natsu as he leaned up against the wall next to the door.

"We have the only thing that Cobra actually cares about in this world, but don't worry the Council doesn't know that. They just know that I am confident that we'll be able to handle Cobra and if not they get to start inspecting us for things that they could use to get the rest of your deal thrown out." replied Macao.

"You're talking about Kinana aren't you Master Macao." said Natsu with a serious expression.

"Wait how in the world did you know that when Master Makarov kept it a secret?" asked Macoa in surprise.

"No one ever remembers about how good my sense of smell is and I had to fight against the two of them Master Macao and I never forget the scent of someone I've battled." replied Natsu with a quick grin that was then gone.

"So how did you plan on keeping Cobra in line with her Master Macao?" asked Natsu in a growl.

"By keeping her away from him by any means necessary Natsu." replied Macao as he glared back at Natsu.

"And by that do you mean letting the Council have her or are you saying that you would actually hurt her to keep Cobra in line?" asked Natsu as smoke started to come out of him.

"They were only going to be threats Natsu that I would hopefully not have to carry out. I know that this is going to sound terrible Natsu but if one member of Fairy Tail being put in jail saves thousands of lives I am willing to do that, and you and I both know that you would go to jail in an instant if it would save lives. You just don't want to see any of your friends making sacrifices like that because it would hurt you, but guess what Natsu when you do things like that it also hurts the rest of us." said Macao angrily not stepping down on this issue.

"That's different because I am the one making the choice Master Macao." said Natsu as his magic started to increase.

"Natsu I wasn't just going to throw her away as if she was garbage, she's one of us Natsu she's family. I was going to explain to her about what's going on and since she's a member of Fairy Tail I know that she would agree with this decision and go along with it like any other member Natsu. They all are willing to do whatever it takes to protect Fairy Tail and the lives of the citizens of Fiore because that is what they see you doing every time you go out and fight those drakes or any of the other big things that you've accomplished." clarified Macao which caused Natsu to calm down.

"Why the hell didn't you tell me that right way Master Macao?" asked Natsu as he shook his head.

"My bad on that one Natsu." said Macao while chuckling.

"So I take it that Kinana still doesn't remember any of it?" asked Natsu with a slight frown.

"No not all of it, but every once and a while I can see her stop and look as if she just remembered something." answered Macao with a slight frown on his face.

"Memory is a tricky thing and it might be better if you tell her about it before it all comes back on its own." stated Natsu.

"You might have a point there Natsu." said Macao as he pinched the bridge of his nose in thought.

"Well that is up to you to decide Macao, but don't worry about having to tell her because of Cobra coming because I'll handle him. Oh and what did you mean by me having bad timing?" asked Natsu as he traced the scars on his face.

"Yeah about that, well you just so happened to wake up when Ultear wasn't here which has only been for a few hours each day. So she's going to probably be pissed that you woke up during one of those times." explained Macao now having another grin on his face.

"Shit that really was bad timing on my part but it's not like I tried it or anything." stated Natsu with a little grin of his own.

"Well for your sake Natsu I hope she sees it that way." said Macao.

"I bet she'll be happy that I am just awake, oh and why was I out for so long, I assume that Porlyusica as some guess as to why it happened?" asked Natsu still having that little grin.

"She thinks that you can now use smoke just like your fire, not only that but she thinks that you could actually change your body into either of those two elements now just like Gajeel does with his iron." answered Macao.

"Well isn't that a pleasant surprise for once." said Natsu as he looked at his hands with a lot of concentration. Then they both started to have black smoke surround them and stay there since that was what he was trying to do with them.

"That just looks so weird with it not being fire." stated Macao.

"You have no idea Master Macao, but this just means I have more training to do since I now can do this and also almost lost a full month." said Natsu as he got off of the wall and headed to the door.

"Heading straight back to work I see?" asked Macao.

"Nope, I have to apologize to Bisca and Alzack for almost ruining their special day and I think that after their wedding I will be getting back to work. Because we both know that the rest of the world won't sit back and let me have time off even if I need it." said Natsu before he left the infirmary.

"Same old Natsu, never sitting around." said Macao to himself as he followed Natsu out.

"Did you guys miss me?" asked Natsu loudly as came out of the infirmary with his usual grin.

"Natsu!" cheered slash shouted the whole guild that then flocked to him. The entire guild started asking Natsu how he was feeling and if he needed anything to help him get better faster while also asking a whole bunch of other questions that were about pretty much anything and everything.

"I am completely fine everyone, I just apparently needed to adjust to doing something stupid again." replied Natsu still grinning at all of them.

"You wouldn't be Natsu if you didn't do something like that every now and again." said Wakaba with a smirk.

"Hey old man I am pretty sure that you know that you can't do anything to me now that I can just eat whatever you throw at me." stated Natsu now having a smirk of this own.

"Like he could have done anything before." stated a random member.

"Hey who said that?" asked Wakaba as he tried to figure it out.

"HAHAHAHA man do I love this place." stated Natsu as most of the guild joined in with him at laughing at Wakaba.

"So is it true Salamander, I mean Natsu that you can now use smoke?" asked Sting who was with Rogue and standing right in front of him.

"Does this answer your question?" asked Natsu as he had his left hand covered in black smoke.

"Wow that is so cool, I want to get another element." shouted Sting who was about to take off but was grabbed by Natsu.

"Sting you will never try that do you hear me, because I am extremely lucky to be alive right now. And I will not have you killing yourself over something as stupid as trying to get a new element." said Natsu in a deep and gravelly voice as he glared at the boy.

"Okay Salamander, I just wanted to be like you." stated Sting while looking away from Natsu.

"Now that is just stupid Sting when you have the potential to be better than me." said Natsu with a smile as he set the boy back down.

"What, how could I do something like that when you are the greatest?" asked Sting who didn't expect to hear that.

"Because you'll be able to learn from all of my mistakes Sting and with the Rogue by your side I know that you'll soon be able to do things that I could only dream of. All you have to do is keep training and remember why you are trying to get stronger and not let it become for your own selfish desires, because that is not how you obtain true strength." answered Natsu as he looked at Sting straight in the eyes.

"You really think so Salamander?" asked Sting.

"Of course I do Sting I always say what I mean, but you're going to have to watch out because Rogue is going to be your real competition for strongest dragon slayer later on." replied Natsu with a big grin.

"No I won't Salamander because we're partners, so we'll share that title once we surpass you." declared Sting with a big smile.

"And I can't wait for that day Sting." said Natsu with a fond smile as he hoped to see that day which was unfortunately looking less likely with how that last fight with the drakes went.

"We're now able to complete the entire exercise like you wanted Natsu." said Rogue proudly since he and Sting wanted to make sure that they could do that by the time Natsu woke up.

"That's great you two, which means we can get to work on improving your magic. And now it looks like I will be learning right along with the two of you." said Natsu as he patted Rogue on the head.

"What do you mean by that Salamander?" asked Sting.

"Natsu means that he has to train with is smoke now." explained Rogue with a smile since he understood what Natsu said.

"For real, you can't just use it like your fire?" asked Sting.

"Of course not Sting, to be good at anything in life takes a lot of hard work. Which is what the three of us are going to be doing for a long time." answered Natsu.

"They weren't the only two to keep training while you were catching up on your beauty sleep Natsu." said Jet with Krish and Droy standing on either side of him.

"I would have hoped not, because I know that everyone wouldn't let me being in a coma stop their training and all of their hard work. But my question is are any of you able to beat me yet?" asked Natsu as his fighting grin spread across his face causing most of the members to take a step back knowing that it was usually followed by them getting beat.

"Unfortunately not yet Natsu, but we will in a few months or years if that's what it takes." said Jet with a confident tone.

"Now that's what I like to hear, now I need to go and apologize to two people." stated Natsu as he made his way to through the crowd.

"Natsu they're all outside right now training some of the newer members that really want to get stronger." said Jet thinking Natsu was referring to his group of women that were with him most of the time.

"What are you talking about Jet they're right here." said Natsu as he stopped in front of Alzack and Bisca.

"Why would you need to apologize to us?" asked Bisca.

"For ruining the celebration of your engagement and almost ruining the day of your wedding, which I am really sorry about almost doing." said Natsu with his sheepish grin.

"What are you talking about Natsu you didn't ruin anything and we're both just happy that you're up and able to attend." said Alzack with a big smile.

"Fine but you two aren't going to stop me from getting you the best wedding present ever." declared Natsu as his grin switched to his usual one.

"Please don't do something crazy Natsu?" begged Bisca who was afraid that it was already too late.

"Oh come on Bisca you know that I wouldn't do anything like that." replied Natsu as he started to chuckle.

"You already have something planned don't you?" asked Bisca now dreading Natsu's answer.

"That I do and I am sure that you're both going to love it." replied Natsu with a mischievous grin.

"Natsu please don't waste your jewels on something stupid." stated Alzack knowing that some of Natsu's plans in the past were very stupid.

"Don't worry because I know that it will all be worth it even if you don't accept it." said Natsu as he turned to the back door that was just being opened.

"When do you think he's going to wake up?" asked Meredy.

"Hopefully soon." said Kei.

"How about a while ago?" asked Natsu loud enough for them to hear him.

"Natsu!" shouted both of them as they took off and hugged him.

"It's great to see you two and I am sorry about all of that." said Natsu as he hugged them back.

"Just don't do something like that again Natsu." said Meredy as she continued to hug him.

"Sorry Meredy but I can't promise you that, but I will promise you that'll try to not do it again." replied Natsu still hugging the two of them.

"That's good enough for me." said Kei quietly.

"Me too, but I don't think Ultear will be okay with that." said Meredy with a big grin now on her face.

"Oh come on Meredy she's just going to be happy that I'm awake again." said Natsu as he smiled back at her.

"I don't know about that Natsu but we'll have to wait and see." stated Meredy.

"That we will which will be happening pretty soon and Kei I am sorry that I didn't get to go with you on that S-Class mission." apologized Natsu.

"It's okay Natsu, we completed it without you." said Kei proudly.

"Which one did you chose to do?" asked Natsu.

"Both of them." declared Kei proudly.

"Wait you guys took on whatever fire monster that was supposed to be eliminated for the job and you were fine with it?" asked Natsu in disbelief.

"Well I still don't like fire but I am not going to let that stop me from doing anything anymore." replied Kei.

"See Natsu I told you it would work." said Meredy smugly.

"You're right Meredy, but I am honestly surprised that Ultear took you guys on that without me." stated Natsu as he shook his head.

"Ultear didn't Natsu since she didn't want to be away from you for that long in case you woke up." said Meredy hoping that Natsu would leave it at that.

"So you're saying that just the three of you went on two S-Class missions?" asked Natsu as his bangs now covered his eyes.

"Yes Natsu, and we didn't have any problems since Kei and Kagura should be S-Class mages already." replied Meredy nervously as she could feel Natsu's magic building up.

"Master Macao, how could you let them go on those jobs without me or Ultear with them? They could have all been seriously hurt or worse!" shouted Natsu as once again smoke started to bellow off of him while he tried to contain his rage.

"I didn't Natsu because they just snuck off the day after you were dropped off here by Doranbolt and don't raise your voice at me like that Natsu." said Macao calmly as if this was normal for him.

"Sorry Master Macao but we both know what can happen on S-Class jobs." stated Natsu as he thought back to when they all thought Lisanna died on one.

"Yes I do Natsu, but you have to know that you can't always be there to protect everyone. And isn't that the main reason that you started to train the other members of the guild so that they'll be able to protect themselves. Also Meredy is right about those two being at the level of S-Class thanks to your training and their hard work." said Macao as he took a mug from Kinana and took a drink.

"Yes that's the reason behind doing all of that training but I can't help but be concerned about them. Even if they are both at the level of S-Class, they still need more experience in actual fights where their opponent won't stop before they actually do real damage." argued Natsu.

"That's true Natsu but how are they supposed to get that if you don't allow them to go on jobs by themselves?" asked Macao.

"I haven't stopped them from going on any jobs that are within their level, which just so happens to be not S-Class." stated Natsu.

"Natsu you are a perfect example of someone who wasn't S-Class when you should have been, but now look at you." replied Macao.

"Yeah you're right Master Macao, I am the perfect example because I too thought that I was ready for S-Class jobs and that almost got me killed." pointed out Natsu as he was now right in front of Macao.

"But you didn't Natsu and you were actually doing a double S rank mission which is now what the Council classifies drakes at if not triple S since only dragon slayers can deal with them." said Macao who was still not shocked by Natsu arguing with him on this.

"That doesn't really help your case Master Macao." stated Natsu.

"Yes it does Natsu because I looked over those two jobs and they both could have just as easily been ranked at a high level A. But instead they got put into the lowest level of S-Class, also Natsu they had Meredy with them who is an S-Class mage herself." said Macao.

"Fine I can see I am not going to win this one and you're the Master so you make the rules." said Natsu after letting out a long sigh and taking a seat at the bar.

"Why don't we go and start training." suggested Sting not liking the awkward silence that the guild was left in after Natsu and Macao's debate.

"Sorry Sting but I am waiting for someone to show up, and I am honestly surprised that everyone else isn't too." replied Natsu as Kinana gave him a shot of whiskey.

"What are you talking about Natsu?" asked Meredy.

"Wow you really kept this one a secret if Meredy doesn't even know." said Natsu with a small grin.

"That I did Natsu, other than you only Ultear and Wakaba know." said Macao with a proud smile spread across his face.

"Well it'll be interesting to see how they react, but now it would appear that Kagura and Ultear are going to be joining us." said Natsu as the back door opened once again and a few more members came in with the two women bringing up the rear.

"Natsu!" shouted Kagura who then ran to him and gave him a big hug.

"I hear that you've been doing a good job filling in for me." said Natsu as Kagura separated from their hug.

"I've been doing okay but they all miss sparing with you." stated Kagura with a small smile.

"Well they'll have to get used to you being my replacement for half of the time." said Natsu as he looked straight into her eyes.

"And why is that Natsu?" asked Kagura.

"Because I will be too busy to do it every day for a while, well at least until I get a few projects done that is." answered Natsu.

"I don't mind if it's helping you out Natsu." said Kagura.

"It will be Kagura, more than you can possibly know but now I have to see why Ultear is so quiet." said Natsu with a grin.

"Hey Ultear, I am really sorry that I made you worry." said Natsu as he scratched the back of his head with his left hand while having a sheepish grin on his face.

"You're sorry?" asked Ultear quietly.

"Yep, but now I am back and stronger than before." answered Natsu with a grin that was instantly gone when an orb smashed into the side of his face.

"You're just sorry after doing something that you knew could have killed you!" shouted Ultear as she sent more orbs at Natsu hitting him over and over again. Natsu never being keen to losing a fight but not wanting to attack Ultear started to smash the orbs as they were sent flying at him so that he could try and talk to her.

"Ultear stop this now or someone other than me might get hurt." shouted Natsu as he destroyed two more but was hit by three others.

"They're already on the other side of the guild Natsu so one other than you is going to be hurt." replied Ultear as continued to pelt him with her orbs.

"Ultear stop this now so that we can talk." said Natsu who was really getting tired of being her punching bag.

"We're talking right now so go ahead and tell me why I should stop." said Ultear.

"Because if you continue this anymore I'll be sent right back to the infirmary Ultear!" shouted Natsu as he destroyed a few more while dodging some others.

"Maybe that is what I want Natsu, so we know that you aren't going to go back out there and try to kill yourself again!" shouted Ultear as she glared at him while continuing to send more orbs at him.

"That's not what I did Ultear and you know it!" shouted Natsu as his magic skyrocketed and actually stopped most of the orbs coming near him.

"Seems like it to me Natsu since you know that you can't eat another type of magic but you went and did it anyways. So why don't I spare the rest of us the pain of wondering when you're going to try and kill yourself and help you do it right now!" shouted Ultear as she switched to her ice magic and started to send spikes of ice that were razor sharp right at him. But before they even came close to Natsu they evaporated in the blink of an eye.

"I would never do something like taking my own life Ultear because I have way too many things and people that I care about. And I have said this before and I will probably say it again but you don't die for your friends Ultear you keep living for them. That is exactly why I did what I did that day because otherwise it was guaranteed that I would have died to those two drakes along with Doranbolt. So I don't want to hear you ever say again that I would just throw my life away and give up like that when so many people are counting on me!" shouted Natsu with complete rage in his eyes.

"Then stop almost dying on us Natsu!" Ultear shouted back as tears started to escape her eyes causing Natsu to instantly lose all of his rage. And Natsu finally realize how much he means to Ultear for her to actually cry about the possibility of him dying. So Natsu quickly reeled in all of his magic that he was giving off and walked to Ultear without blocking any of the orbs that she continued to send at him.

"Ultear I can't promise that because that is always a chance of happening when fighting drakes, but I will promise you that I won't ever leave you if that's what you want." said Natsu quietly so that only Ultear could hear him since he was right in front of her.

"How can you say that when you just said that you might die?" asked Ultear in just a whisper since she was no longer attacking Natsu.

"So long as you remember someone they are never truly gone Ultear. I really wish that I could make a promise like I won't die but we both know that isn't how life works since we all are eventually going to die someday. But when that day is, is something that no one knows and can only hope that they've lived a life that they are happy with when that day finally comes a knocking." said Natsu as he brought her into a hug that she happily accepted.

"I know that Natsu but I really don't know what I would do if you died." stated Ultear as she rested her head against his chest.

"You'd keep on living Ultear, because you aren't alone anymore like you were at your old guild. Now you have all of Fairy Tail willing to do anything that they can to help and let's not forget Meredy who's your daughter that will stick with you no matter what happens." answered Natsu as he rested his chin on her head.

"And that is because of you Natsu, well except for Meredy that is." said Ultear as she enjoyed the warmth that he was giving off.

"That isn't true Ultear, I only just helped guide you on the path that you were planning on going down." replied Natsu.

"Could you make me a different promise then Natsu?" asked Ultear as she tilted her head so she could look up at him after he got his chin off of her.

"And what promise would that be Ultear?" asked Natsu giving her one of his famous grins.

"That you'll be more careful from here on out and never do something as stupid as that again?" asked Ultear.

"I promise that I will be more careful but I can't promise that I won't do something like that again." said Natsu.

"Natsu, Porlyusica said that you'll definitely die if you try to absorb a different type of magic again and that you are already extremely lucky to be alive." said Ultear as she glared at him.

"Okay Ultear I promise I won't eat another element other than smoke of fire, but that is it because I will do something just as stupid if it means I can save lives." stated Natsu hoping that Ultear would be okay with it.

"That's the best I am going to be able to get from you isn't it?" asked Ultear with a small grin like she usually had.

"Yep." replied Natsu as he grinned back at her.

"Fine then Natsu, I will accept those promises now let go of me before we cause a scene." said Ultear who was now slightly embarrassed for showing her emotions like that in the guild.

"It's a little too late for that Ultear." chuckled Natsu as he let go of her and stepped to the side so she could see what she did to the guild. Pretty much everything on their half of the guild was smashed to smithereens by her orbs.

"That's easy enough to fix." stated Ultear as she focused her magic to return the guild to how it was before their fight.

"Man if I had that magic I could really cut loose without the fear of paying for my destruction." stated Natsu after Ultear finished setting everything back to normal and sat down at the bar.

"Are you saying that you were always aware that you caused all of that damage when Makarov was Master?" asked Macao.

"Yep, which is why I was always trying to keep it low like a did." replied Natsu being completely honest and causing the older members to shake their heads at how Natsu could possibly think what he did before was low on the damage scale. Which then made them realize how much damage he could actually cause if he wanted to like he did at Twilight Ogre's old guild hall which Natsu now owned.

"Natsu no one would call what you used to do as low damage, which also caused Master Makarov loads of grief and paper work." stated Macao who now could sympathize with Makarov about paying for damage.

"Oh come on Master Macao, Gramps was fine with it otherwise he would have told me to stop doing it." replied Natsu with a big grin.

"What in the world did you think he was always yelling at you for Natsu?" asked Wakaba who couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"A lot of things, I was quite the trouble maker back then." said Natsu as if it was years ago when all of this happened.

"Natsu you do realize that it hasn't even been a year since you used to do all of that stuff." pointed out Bisca with a big smile.

"Really, man it feels like it was ages ago for me." said Natsu as he traced his scar which became a new habit for him to do while thinking.

"Well that is to be expected when you've had to battle, what is it now eight different drakes." said Jet with a sly smirk on his face.

"Yes it is Jet but I really wish it was none." replied Natsu as he let out a long sigh.

"Natsu you were talking earlier about someone coming to the guild, who were you talking about?" asked Laki with a smile.

"It's funny that you mention that Laki because if I am not mistaken he'll be arriving here shortly since he just got off of the train." said Natsu with a grin as the got up from the bar and started to stretch.

"You didn't answer me Natsu." stated Laki as she glared at the dragon slayer.

"I know that Laki, but as I have said before life is more fun when there are surprises." said Natsu as he continued to stretch.

"Natsu why are you stretching right now?" asked Meredy since this was even weird for Natsu.

"Because I need to be ready to fight." stated Natsu as he continued.

"Why would you need to be ready to do that if someone is just visiting?" asked Kagura.

"He isn't just visiting Kagura, he's going to be our new member but first he's going to challenge me to a fight to try and prove that he's stronger than me. But I will show him that he is dead wrong about that and make sure that he'll remember it for the rest of his life." said Natsu as he had a feral grin on his face.

"Who the hell is coming to our guild wanting to join but after they fight you?" asked Jet finding all of the really weird.

"That would be him, and honestly he didn't really want to do this but the alternative was going to a cell with no windows to later be executed so he chose this instead. And he is now going to be your problem if he does something wrong which I know he will the first chance he gets." said Lahar as he gestured to a man wearing magic suppressing cuffs with four Rune Knights watching his every move.

"Our new member is a criminal?" asked Sting who was shocked by this.

"Wouldn't be the first time your guild has done something like this." said Lahar as she glared at Ultear who only smiled back at him.

"Everyone I would like to introduce you to our newest member whose main purpose is to help Natsu deal with the drakes, Cobra the poison dragon slayer." said Macao with a big grin.

"You can't be serious Master Macao?" asked Jet who had heard all about Cobra.

"I absolutely am Jet and I will not hear any more complaints about this from any of you. Fairy Tail is his last chance at doing something good with his life which has always been one of the main purposes of our guild, giving second chances to those that need it. Also he's one of the very few people who can actually help Natsu with the drakes which as we all just learned is definitely needed." said Macao loud enough for everyone to hear him.

"I will not take orders from Salamander." stated Cobra as he glared at Macao.

"Yes you will Cobra otherwise you will be heading straight back to prison to wait for your execution." said Macao as he glared back.

"You're bluff won't fool me old man." said Cobra with a sneer.

"I am not bluffing Cobra, we are being kind enough to give you a second chance here so take it and do as you're told." said Macao who was already getting angry at Cobra.

"You do know that I can hear your thoughts?" asked Cobra now grinning at Macao.

"Well then hear this." said Macao as he started to think of Kinana and how Master Makarov helped her.

"Where the hell is she?" shouted Cobra as he lunged at Macao but was brought to his knees by one of the Rune Knights.

"Settle down Cobra all of that will be explained later if you agree to our terms." stated Macao.

"She doesn't remember does she?" asked Cobra with his head down.

"That's correct Cobra but she is slowly gaining it back and don't you think she would be happy if her oldest friend was there waiting for her once she did?" asked Macao as everyone else except for Natsu was completely lost by this conversation.

"Fine but I still won't take orders from that brat." spat out Cobra while still having his head lowered.

"How about we make a wager Cobra, if you win in a fight against me then you will never have to listen to a thing I say. But if I win this fight then you will do absolutely every command that I give you without question while we are fighting drakes, otherwise I honestly don't care if you don't listen to me." proposed Natsu as he made his way to the front of the group and stood in front of Cobra as he looked up at him.

"What in the world happened to you Salamander and why can't I hear your thoughts?" asked Cobra in disbelief at how many scars Natsu was now sporting, showing that he had definitely been busy since the last time that they met.

"Oh you know this and that, but mainly fighting drakes which is how I got most of these scars. As to why you can't hear my thoughts let's just say that we have a mage here that is very skilled in that area and has been actually teaching everyone here how to do this. So there goes one of the two things that gave you an advantage last time we fought and we both know that you won't have the other one either. Oh and I can already guess that you planned on just taking her and running but guess what Cobra, that isn't going to happen while I am still breathing." said Natsu with a big grin.

"I accept your bet Salamander, just because you have a few new scars doesn't mean you have a chance against me." said Cobra who wanted nothing more to rip Natsu apart.

"Man this is going to be great Cobra but I don't want you chickening out on me half way through this fight." said Natsu still grin.

"I will show you who's the better dragon slayer Salamander." replied Cobra as he got back up.

"You know Gajeel told me when we first met that there was only enough room in the skies for one dragon. He was partially right about that Cobra, but what Gajeel messed up on was that there can only be one alpha in the skies with other dragons under him. And guess what Cobra I am now about to show you that I am the alpha here which is never going to change." said Natsu with a feral grin spread across his face.

"I have no idea what you are talking about Salamander but I will show you how wrong you are." said Cobra as he started to come up with is own plan.

"Let's take this out back to our arena and Lahar if you want to stay and watch you're more than welcome to. You can watch it on those screens or you can come outside with us and watch it in person, but could you remove his cuffs?" said Natsu with a smirk.

"They had to come off sooner or later Salamander but I really hope you know what you're doing." stated Lahar as he took off the cuffs.

"Lahar you got to learn to live a little, you and your men can get whatever you want just put it on my tab. Cobra why don't we go and settle this dispute once and for all." said Natsu as he then headed towards the back door.

"You won't be able to get me with a roar this time Salamander." stated Cobra as he followed Natsu outside with most of the guild following.

"That would be boring if I did Cobra and I want to have more fun than that." said Natsu as they made their way towards the arena.

"I have another question for you Salamander that you might not want the rest of your guild hearing." said Cobra quietly.

"Don't you mean our guild Cobra, and don't worry I am pretty much an open book and the things that aren't you definitely don't know about since you've been in prison." relied Natsu.

"Yea because of you Salamander." growled Cobra.

"No that's because of your old guild trying to plunge the world into darkness or whatever it was that you guys were trying to do." said Natsu as they entered the ring.

"You don't even remember that we were trying to turn light into darkness?" asked Cobra.

"Nope doesn't really matter since we stopped you guys and destroyed Nirvana so no one else can try that again." answered Natsu as he went to the other side of the arena.

"You are very strange Salamander." stated Cobra.

"I have been getting similar comments like that lately, so what is your question Cobra?" asked Natsu while grinning at Cobra.

"Well you said it was okay to ask out loud so I will, why do you reek of blood Salamander?" asked Cobra expecting some sort of shocked response from Fairy Tail or Natsu but got none.

"Oh that, don't worry Cobra it's not human blood it's the blood from every drake that I have killed over the last ten months with the addition of a dragons as well. I can't smell it at all but that might be because it's become a part of my scent." said Natsu.

"You were serious about fighting drakes?" asked Cobra who thought that it was some weird joke they were pulling on him.

"Yes I was Cobra and I'll even let you hear my thought about all eight of them that I battled. Oh and why don't I even throw in that dragon that I fought." said Natsu as he took down the barrier that Warren taught him to always have up. And for the next minute Natsu watched the expressions that Cobra made as he heard his thoughts about all of them and couldn't help but grin as Cobra's face settled on terrified after he put the barrier back up.

"How in the world are you alive Salamander?" asked Cobra who heard numerous things that should have been the end of Natsu. Especially Natsu's encounter with Achnologia who he somehow actually caused to bleed when doing that was supposed to be impossible.

"All I'll say is that I have something to fight for Cobra, which is why I beat you before and why I am going to do it again." said Natsu as he started to unleash his magic letting it build up as smoke started to come off of him. All Cobra could think of right now was that he might have made a terrible mistake when he accepted Natsu's bet and decided to fight him.

 **End of Chapter**

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Thanks for reading everyone and I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. As you can see the next one will start off right where this one left off and I will continue on with other noteworthy things happening at Fairy Tail. Which will probably include parts of the S-Class exams and who got promoted, and with all my stories I love to hear suggestions from my readers on what they would like to see. So as always feel free to leave me a review and I will try to get back to you as soon as possible.**

 **Until the next Chapter**

 **Digem Out!**


	11. Salamander VS Cobra

Ch 11: Salamander VS Cobra

 **Outside of Fairy Tail in their fighting arena:**

"Normal sparing rules Cobra, but I am guessing that you don't know what that means." said Natsu with a devious grin as he was still giving off tons of magic.

"You are correct about that Salamander." replied Cobra really regretting that he agreed to this.

"Okay Cobra that means we both won't land any killing blows, otherwise everything else is acceptable. And that rule is mainly for you benefit since I am pretty sure that you couldn't even kill me if you wanted to." taunted Natsu and instantly seeing Cobra get upset about that comment.

"Oh we'll see about that Salamander!" shouted Cobra as he got into a fighting stance.

"Good to hear Cobra because it looked like you were about to piss yourself." taunted Natsu which pushed Cobra over the ledge and caused him to start attacking Natsu before the match officially started.

" **POISON DRAGON'S TWIN FANGS!** " shouted Cobra as he made two large fangs made out of poison form right in front of him and swung them at Natsu who had a smug grin on his face. And just as they were about to land a heavy blow on the pink haired dragon slayer he disappeared.

"Have you gotten slower since being in prison Cobra?" asked Natsu who was now standing behind him still having that same smug look on his face.

"Like hell Salamander, **POISON DRAGON'S FANG THRUST!** " shouted Cobra as he jumped away from Natsu and launched just one fang like the ones that he made earlier at Natsu. Natsu did a quick roll to the said and then did an exaggerated yawn showing how bored he was with this fight.

"Cobra I expected more out of you, you're a dragon slayer or are you second generation ones really this weak?" asked Natsu once again causing Cobra to get even more infuriated with him.

"That's it Salamander I will show you exactly what we're capable of!" shouted Cobra as his arms became covered in purple scales and his magic flared up around him as poison started to circle around him.

"Now this is more like it." replied Natsu happily as he actually got into a fighting stance for the first time as his magic flared up once again while starting to smoke.

" **POISON DRAGON'S SCALES!** " shouted Cobra as he sent a large amount of scales flying at Natsu who somehow gracefully dodged all of them.

"HAHAHAHA this is more like it Cobra, you almost got me on that one." laughed Natsu as he made his way to Cobra while still dodging the incoming scales flying at him.

 **"POISON DRAGON'S TWIN FANGS!"** shouted Cobra right as Natsu ended up in front of him. But once again Natsu dodged it, but this time by a simple duck that got him right next to an unexpected Cobra.

 **"FIRE DRAGON'S CRUSHING IRON FIST!"** shouted Natsu as he punched Cobra right in the middle of his chest and the next second Cobra was imbedded in the opposite wall of the arena while making a little crater that he fell out of.

"Come on Cobra get up that was just me testing the waters." stated Natsu with a big grin on his face.

"Like hell it was Salamander, I think you might have broken a few ribs!" shouted Cobra as he got up and dusted himself off as if he was completely fine.

"Sure doesn't look like it." stated Natsu.

"Salamander we both know that you don't want to show any weakness to your opponent if possible. And that wasn't a normal punch from you that had way more power behind it." pointed out Cobra as he glared at Natsu.

"Okay you got me there Cobra, I came up with pretty much all new attacks that have more power behind them and you are my first real human test subject." replied Natsu with a big grin.

"Glad I can be your guinea pig Salamander, but let's get back to it **POISON DRAGON'S ROAR!"** shouted Cobra almost getting Natsu by surprise.

 **"FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!"** shouted Natsu just before he would have been hit by Cobra's roar and in the next few seconds his roar started to easily over power Cobra's. And then Natsu realized that something was off but it was already too late.

 **"POISON DRAGON'S SPIRAL JAW!"** shouted Cobra as a poison enhanced kick hit Natsu's right side and launched him to the side by ten feet.

"And just like that Salamander I am now going to win this battle." said Cobra with a confident grin on his face.

"Why in the world would one weak hit mean you're going to win?" asked Natsu who also had a confident grin.

"Because it only takes a little bit of my poison to weaken you enough for me to keep poisoning you until I am the victor. And this time I am not going to toy with you like I did last time." said Cobra as he was about to attack again but was stopped by Natsu starting to laugh like a mad man.

"Oh that is so hilarious Cobra, but sorry to break it to you but I have surpassed your poison after finding out something about myself recently. See Cobra no signs of weakening at all, you actually didn't even leave me a bruise." said Natsu as he showed Cobra the side of his body thanks to him just wearing a vest.

"How in the world is that even possible, poison is the strongest element out there and nothing can stop it?" asked Cobra in complete shock that his attack did nothing to Natsu.

"Cobra there isn't a strongest element among them all, and if there was it would be fire because it can burn everything like I just did to your poison." replied Natsu who then disappeared only to reappear behind Cobra.

 **"FIRE DRAGON'S CLAW!"** shouted Natsu as he landed a solid kick into Cobra's side causing Natsu to hear some ribs cracking as Cobra screamed out in pain.

"But you were correct about one thing Cobra, you should never play with an enemy while you have the advantage because that is the quickest way to lose." said Natsu as he made his way over to Cobra who as still getting up after that last attack.

"How the hell are you this strong Salamander it's only been about a year?" asked Cobra as he stared down his fellow dragon slayer.

"I have already shown you how Cobra and when you go out there and fight for your life every time you battle a drake you are going to get stronger or you're going to die. Those are the only two options which you will be soon doing with me after you learn that I am the Alpha of our pack." answered Natsu as he then jumped into the air.

 **"FIRE DRAGON'S CRUSHING CLAW!"** shouted Natsu as he brought his flaming leg down towards Cobra.

 **"POISON DRAGON'S GUARD!"** shouted Cobra as he blocked Natsu with his shield of poison and was about to counter when out of instinct he jumped back. And Cobra was extremely glad that he did as Natsu broke through his guard a second later and slammed into the ground making a little crater.

"Nice defense Cobra but that isn't going to stop me from beating you until you can't move." said Natsu as he walked out of the dust that he made.

 **"POISON DRAGON'S SCALES!"** shouted Cobra as he started to see what the outcome of this battle was going to be. But rather than dodging like last time Natsu coated his fist with fire and punched any that he could while still making his way to Cobra while still getting hit but showed no signs of it at all.

"Here I come Cobra!" said Natsu as he grinned at the poison dragon slayer with pure delight in his eyes.

 **"POISON DRAGON'S ROAR!"** shouted Cobra as Natsu advanced on him and watched as it made its way to him but felt no counter or block. This meant that Natsu dodged it and Cobra realized this too late as he cut off his roar knowing that he was going to be in a lot of pain.

"Too slow Cobra, **FIRE DRAGON'S IRON FISTS!"** shouted Natsu as he started to hit Cobra all over with slightly weaker punches so he wouldn't be launched away. Cobra instantly realized that Natsu was actually targeting his chest knowing that he had broken ribs which really surprised him because the old Natsu would have actually purposely attacked elsewhere because of that.

But when Cobra tried to defend that place better, Natsu would either hit him in the head or go for his joints. In other words Natsu was not messing around at all and made that very clear to Cobra who didn't think such actions were possible from someone like Natsu. But thanks to the scales covering his arms Cobra was able to prevent a lot of damage that he knew would have been the end of him if he didn't have them.

"I have to admit that you are extremely tough Cobra, which means I am going to have to show you something else I have up my sleeves." said Natsu after backing off of Cobra who was slightly winded after trying to block all of Natsu's countless attacks.

"What's with all of this smoke Salamander?" asked Cobra who actually noticed it for the first time since this was actually the first time for a few minutes that Natsu actually let him catch his breath.

"Oh that is something that I really don't have complete control over yet after getting it in my last fight with those two smoke drakes. Honestly it doesn't bother me at all just like my fire so I guess it makes sense, so time for round two Cobra." answered Natsu as he launched himself at Cobra who shouted **"POISON DRAGON'S GUARD!"**

 **"FIRE DRAGON'S PIERCING CLAW!"** shouted Natsu as his hand went straight through Cobra's shield and continued on right through his scales on his arms and stopped right before it made contact with his chest right where his heart was.

"You just would have died Cobra if I had felt like it." whispered Natsu with a serious look in his eyes that scared Cobra to his core. And before he could respond Natsu unleashed his next attack while Cobra was still trying to figure out what just happened leaving him completely exposed.

 **"FIRE DRAGON'S CRUSHING KNEE!"** shouted Natsu as he kneed Cobra in the gut launching him into the air where Natsu unleashed his next attack.

 **"FIRE DRAGON'S SWORD HORN!"** shouted Natsu as he launched up into the air and head butted Cobra in the chest while covered in flames, which launched Cobra even higher. Natsu gracefully landed on his feet in the middle of the arena and took a wide stance that all watching knew what was coming next and felt extremely sorry for the already extremely beaten poison dragon slayer.

 **"FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!"** shouted Natsu as he launched it straight into the air right at Cobra who couldn't do anything but wait for it to finish him off. Everyone watched as the powerful roar engulfed Cobra who screamed out in pain at first but then stopped as Natsu cut his roar off and watched the burnt body of Cobra land on the floor of the arena with a loud thud.

"Natsu I think that you might have went a little too overboard." stated Macao who was wondering if Cobra was even alive.

"It had to be done Master Macao, otherwise Cobra would have never accepted being part of Fairy Tail." said Natsu as he slung Cobra over his shoulder with very little care and started to make his way out of the arena.

"I really don't understand how any of this helps him becoming a part of Fairy Tail." stated Macao with a slight frown.

"I guess you could say it's a dragon slayer thing Master Macao which might explain why Laxus was such a dick when he was younger and why he did that fight festival. Oh my god I just realized that we didn't do the Fantasia parade this year." said Natsu completely forgetting that Cobra was on his shoulder.

"Natsu please focus on why you needed to beat Cobra within an inch of his life for him to join us." said Ultear who was also curious about all of this.

"Well the easiest way to put it is that one thing all slayers respect is someone's power and is the only reason for us to follow someone that we don't know that well. Which is exactly what Cobra will be doing after this because he can deny it all he wants but I am now his Alpha and he'll listen to what you say now Master Macao because I listen to you." explained Natsu with a grin as he started to make his way to the infirmary.

"You dragon slayers are really weird Natsu." said Meredy with a big smile on her face.

"That we are Meredy and I keep learning more about what makes us so awesome." replied Natsu.

"Don't you mean weird?" asked Meredy with a.

"They pretty much mean the same thing to me Meredy." answered Natsu as he opened the door to the infirmary and was shocked to see Porlyusica there waiting with a deadly glare.

"Put him down in the bed boy and how is it that the first thing you do when waking up is give me a new patient?" asked Porlyusica.

"Well he's a dragon slayer so it was kind of necessary." started Natsu ready to go into more detail after setting Cobra down.

"That's all I need to know now get out of here so I can get to work." said Porlyusica as she glared at Natsu.

"Thanks for doing this Porlyusica and for healing me as well." replied Natsu with a big grin.

"Get out of here right now otherwise the next time you get hurt I won't help." stated Porlyusica as she continued to glare at him.

"Alright, alright but I know that you have a soft spot for me after treating me all of these years." said Natsu as he left the room with a huge grin on his face.

"Just get out!" shouted Porlyusica as a small smile spread on her face as she thought to herself "You definitely raised that one well Makarov, and don't worry about Fairy Tail because he'll keep her going while you're gone.".

"What's with all the weird looks?" asked Natsu as he looked down at the guild with his usual grin.

"You completely destroyed Cobra." stated Jet who was one of the few to find his words.

"That I did, but what did you expect to happen after everything I have been through while he was stuck in jail." stated Natsu as he made his way down the stairs.

"But didn't you barely beat him last time?" asked Lahar.

"Yes and your point Lahar?" asked Natsu as he came up to him.

"Well how the hell did you so easily beat him?" asked Lahar.

"Come on Lahar he already told you, and that shouldn't have surprised anyone since he's already dealt with eight drakes. And he even took on two of them at the same time once, that is very impressive even for a dragon slayer." said Doranbolt who finally made his presence know.

"I thought I smelt you Doranbolt, glad to see that you are fine." said Natsu as they shook hands which he then turned into a quick hug by pulling Doranbolt in.

"I should be the one saying that to you Natsu." said Doranbolt with a grin.

"I wasn't the idiot that almost killed himself by doing something stupid." said Natsu grinning back at the man.

"Natsu that is exactly what you did." said Ultear as she glared at him.

"HAHAHAHA I guess you are right Ultear, but Doranbolt don't you ever do something as stupid as that again or I'll be the one to end you next time." said Natsu with a grin that was gone as soon as he started to talk to Doranbolt.

"I won't Natsu after talking with Master Macao." replied Doranbolt while brushing aside Natsu's little threat.

"Good to hear, so what do you guys want to do now since I have handled the Cobra situation?" asked Natsu with a big grin.

"Let's go start training Salamander, I mean Natsu." suggested Sting with a huge grin.

"We can start that after Alzack and Bisca's wedding Sting." replied Natsu causing Sting to lose his grin.

"What was this Fantasia parade you were talking about earlier?" asked Kei with a big smile.

"Oh my god it's only one of the best things ever that Fairy Tail does each year. And people come from all over to see all the floats that we make and other attractions, like last year we had a beauty contest that lead into a whole guild wide fight." said Natsu with a fond look on his face.

"Natsu that isn't something you should look back on fondly." stated Wakaba who didn't have the best memories of that day.

"And why would I not look back on that fondly Wakaba? The Tenrou group was all here and even though it was not started for the best reasons, which lead to the best fight I ever had with Laxus. Not only that but it showed that Fairy Tail can pretty much accomplish anything as long as we work together." said Natsu with a big smile.

"I didn't think of it that way." said Wakaba as a smile made its way onto his face.

"Well I can see that you guys are completely capable of handling Cobra so I will take my leave, but please keep an eye on him." said Lahar as he and his Rune Knights started to leave the guild.

"You can count on that Lahar because I will not let anyone or anything harm Fairy Tail." stated Natsu as if it was a fact.

"That is obvious to anyone who watched that fight you just had. Are you going to be coming with us Doranbolt?" asked Lahar with a small grin.

"I think I'll stay here a little longer Lahar." answered Doranbolt.

"I guess I will see you all later than, and I am sure that Fiore would love to see you guys still have a Fantasia parade." said Lahar as he exited the guild hall before anyone could reply to him.

"He isn't that bad of a guy is he?" asked Droy with a smirk.

"Of course not Droy, he just follows procedures to the letter when other times it might be better to not to." said Natsu with a grin.

"I think he might actually like Fairy Tail." stated Kagura.

"Of course he does, we're the best guild ever!" cheered Meredy which got other members to cheer along with her.

"So are we going to hold a Fantasia parade this year along with other things like Lahar suggested?" asked Kei who was obviously excited by the idea of it all.

"That's up to the Master." answered Natsu with a big grin as he looked at Macao along with the rest of the guild.

"I guess this is probably one of the best ways to tell all of Fiore that we are still here and proud to be the number one guild in all of Fiore." said Macao as a grin spread across his face as the whole guild erupted into cheers that soon turned into them discussing what they were going to do for the parade.

"So when are we going to hold this Fantasia thing?" asked Ultear with a big grin as she looked how excited the rest of the guild was.

"I was thinking in a month, so Bisca and Alzack will be able to participate in it." answered Macao with a big grin as well for the same reason as Ultear.

"That's great since that is when Kenta should be done with getting the restaurant ready for its grand opening and what would be better than having its grand opening when we have our Fantasia parade. Because that always brings in people from all over which means more business for Kenta." said Natsu with a big grin.

"Wait how is he even doing any of that when you didn't tell him that you got the okay from Master Macao?" asked Kagura.

"Well you see Kagura, I told him to go ahead with it since I was pretty sure that I could convince Macao to agree to it. And if I didn't I would only be out a few million jewels." stated Natsu as if it wasn't a lot causing a few members to roll their eyes at him. At how he truly doesn't care about jewels as long as his friends are happy and safe which actually brought smiles to their faces.

"You're never going to change at all Natsu." stated Macao with a smirk.

"What are you talking about I have changed a lot, look at my new scars and I can now do this." replied Natsu as he made smoke come out of his hand.

"Not really what I meant Natsu, but do we want to do anything else other than the parade?" asked Macao.

"I think we should." stated Natsu with a big grin.

"And what would we do?" asked Macao.

"We could have an open house where people can spend some time with members of our guild." suggested Meredy.

"We could also schedule some fights between some members for people to watch." suggested Kagura.

"How about also offering to let them try and go through our normal training." said Kei with a smile.

"Those are all not bad idea ladies." said Macao with a grin since that should be enough things to take up a whole day.

"And why would people want to do any of that?" asked Ultear who honestly didn't know why anyone would.

"Because it would be the Fairy Tail experience." replied Meredy happily.

"And we could also give prizes for people reaching certain parts in the training." said Laki who joined in on the conversation.

"We could also allow betting on the fights, which Cana would say makes everything better." suggested Wakaba with a huge grin as he remembered his and Macao's drinking buddy.

"I am betting that you could actually charge people to enter and be allowed to do all of this stuff." said Kinana as she handed Natsu a cigar which surprised most of them.

"Now you're speaking my language Kinana." said Macao with a smirk now thinking about the jewels that the guild could make off of doing this.

"Of course that is what would sell you on all of this Master Macao, you are really starting to act like Gramps." said Natsu as he lit the cigar with a lighter that Kinana gave him along with the cigar.

"Shut up Natsu and just enjoy your cigar." replied Macao only causing Natsu to chuckle.

"Since when do you smoke Natsu?" asked Laki as she glared at him because she didn't like the filthy habit in her opinion.

"Right now Laki and stop glaring at me like that. I am not like Wakaba over there that is filling up the guild with smoke, I'll be eating all of my smoke." said Natsu as he then inhaled all of the smoke that everyone else would have puffed out.

"I didn't know that you could do that." stated Laki no longer glaring at him.

"I just got this ability after fighting those two drakes a month back and damn is this actually delicious." said Natsu with a big grin.

"Why didn't you just light it with your own fire Natsu?" asked Kinana who was surprised when he asked for a lighter.

"That's because I wouldn't be able to eat the fire as well then, which is probably why I really like it as much as I do." explained Natsu with the cigar sticking out of the left side of his mouth while grinning.

"I don't know how I feel about you smoking." said Kagura with a perplexed expression.

"I don't either." stated Kei.

"I think it makes him look rugged." said Meredy with a big grin.

"It doesn't really matter what we think because it's just a different way for Natsu to gain his magic back now. Even though I kind of like the look of it." said Ultear as she winked at Natsu.

"Well I am just glad that another person can now enjoy this pastime with me." said Wakaba as he puffed away on his pipe with a smug grin.

"It isn't too bad but I don't know if it's something that I want to be doing all of the time like you Wakaba." stated Natsu as he smirked at the older man.

"You say that now Natsu, but I bet you that in a month you'll always have one of those in your mouth." replied Wakaba with a big grin.

"So now that we know what we're going to be doing for Fantasia, what's next?" asked Meredy.

"I am going to sit back and enjoy my little bit of time off while I still have it." said Natsu as he leaned against the bar and blew some smoke out that he instantly sucked back up.

"Well we could discuss what we plan to do for the upcoming S-Class trials." said Macao who still hadn't come up with any idea of how to test them.

"That'll have to be done when we don't have any of the candidates with us." stated Ultear as she smiled at Kagura and Kei.

"Good point Ultear, I keep forgetting that they aren't S-Class yet." responded Macao while laughing a bit.

"I actually got a question, why did Jason stop coming by almost two months ago?" asked Kinana who was usually the person to deal with the reporter.

"I honestly have no idea." responded Macao.

"Oh that's because he talked with me while I was working with Cid and Bianca." stated Natsu nonchalantly.

"What you actually had an interview Natsu?" asked Laki.

"I guess you could call it that, but all we did was talk about a lot of things." answered Natsu as he was looking up into the rafters while smoking his cigar.

"Natsu you idiot that is exactly what an interview is." said Macao as he glared at him.

"Oh then why have I been denying doing them for all these years?" asked Natsu as everyone looked at him with completely shocked expressions.

"How are we supposed to know what you were thinking Natsu? You used to say that they were going to ruin your good name." said Wakaba with a grin who found all of this funny.

"Well that was pretty dumb of me." replied Natsu with a little chuckle.

"Why hasn't your interview been featured in Sorcerer's Weekly yet?" asked Kei who bought and read each new issue when it came out.

"Jason said that it would be better if he spread it out into multiple stories or something like that. But I was a little busy at the time so I could be wrong and I really don't think I gave him anything good." stated Natsu with a grin.

"Well Jason apparently thought otherwise Natsu because if he didn't then he would have kept coming back here." stated Ultear with her usual grin.

"That guy is a little weird so who knows what's going on his mind." said Natsu as he looked up at Porlyusica coming out of the infirmary.

"You really let that man have it didn't you." stated Porlyusica as she shook her head.

"Sure did Porlyusica." said Natsu with a big smile that surprised the rest of them.

"Well he should be completely fine in two weeks and you won't have any problems after that. He definitely knows who the alpha is now and probably won't challenge you for a few years." said Porlyusica with a small smile that shocked all of the older members of Fairy Tail since they never saw her do that before.

"How do you even know about the whole alpha thing?" asked Macao who only just learned of it from Natsu.

"The things that I know that all of you don't would take years to tell, so I will be taking my leave and please don't get yourself hurt again Natsu." said Porlyusica with her normal scary face and then promptly left.

"She's extremely scary, or is that just me?" asked Doranbolt who got most of the guild nodding in agreement.

"Oh come on you guys she's just a little rough around the edges." stated Natsu.

"Well we haven't spent tons of time with her like you have Natsu." pointed out Laki.

"I would actually think always getting hurt would be a disadvantage when dealing with Porlyusica considering how much she hates humans." said Jet with a grin.

"Hey I only get hurt when I am on missions for Fairy Tail." stated Natsu with a glare.

"I honestly didn't mean anything by that Natsu." said Jet.

"I know Jet, I just like messing with you." said Natsu with a smirk on his face.

"Jerk." stated Jet who left it at that.

"So when are you two having your wedding exactly since I still don't know the exact date because of the coma thing?" asked Natsu as he looked at Alzack and Bisca.

"In four days Natsu and we're having it here because we couldn't book the Kardia Cathedral on such short notice." stated Bisca with a small frown.

"Wouldn't that have made it not a small wedding?" asked Natsu.

"The venue doesn't determine how big the wedding is going to be Natsu." explained Ultear as she leaned up against him.

"I guess you have a point there Ultear, and do you still want to have it there you two?" asked Natsu as he looked at the couple.

"Yes we do Natsu but we already told you that we couldn't get it." explained Alzack with a sad smile because he really wanted to make this day perfect for Bisca.

"Well that is because you didn't have me there last time Alzack." stated Natsu with a glint in his eyes that looked like he might start destroying things like he used to.

"Natsu you would need to get permission from the mayor since it's such a historic landmark for Magnolia and they haven't let any weddings happen in it for years." said Alzack who had obviously looked into it.

"That actually makes it even easier for me since I needed to go talk with the mayor about a few things." said Natsu as he got up to the disappointment of Ultear.

"Natsu why do you need to talk with the mayor?" asked Macao with a little bit of concern in his voice.

"I just need to see how far our little project is coming along and now I just added getting Kardia Cathedral for their wedding on the list. I also need to go and buy Alzack and Bisca's wedding gift." said Natsu as he started to walk to the doors with a happy expression on his face.

"Can I tag along Natsu?" asked Ultear which surprised Natsu that she even asked since she usually just did whatever she wanted.

"I would love to have your company Ultear." replied Natsu as he held out his arm for her to take which she was more than happy to do. And then the two of them left the guild both with smiles on their faces as they started to have a casual conversation that was mainly Natsu learning in a little more detail what he missed while in his coma.

"You don't think he'll actually be able to get the Kardia Cathedral for the wedding do you?" asked Laki.

"It's Natsu we're talking about here so he won't stop until he gets what he wants so I would be more surprised if he didn't." answered Macao while shaking his head.

"But how is he going to actually do that?" asked Kei.

"Well he does have a ton of jewels." pointed out Meredy with her usual smile.

"I really hope he doesn't waste too much just to get it." said Bisca with a faint smile as she thought how lucky they were to have such a member in Fairy Tail.

"Natsu wouldn't see it as a waste even if he had to spend all of his jewels because that is just who he is." stated Alzack who was now trying to figure out how he could repay Natsu back for this.

"I wonder what gift Natsu is going to get for you?" asked Kagura as she started to think of what crazy gifts Natsu could possibly give them.

"We'll all have to wait and see and shouldn't the two of you be working on getting things read for your big day?" asked Macao as he looked at the couple.

"Well the only thing that still needs to be done now is setting up the location which might have just changed because of a certain dragon slayer." answered Bisca with a smile.

"I can't wait, I've never been to a wedding before." cheered Meredy who just realized that she needed to go and get a dress.

"Kagura and Kei we need to go shopping right now!" declared Meredy as she grabbed their hands and dragged them out of the guild with her before either of them could argue with her.

"Truly there is never a boring day at Fairy Tail." stated Wakaba as he got up and left the guild as well.

 **Four days later:**

The wedding of Alzack and Bisca went just how the couple wanted thanks to Natsu getting them to have it in the Kardia Cathedral through means that no one knew since Ultear didn't attend Natsu's meeting with the mayor. And if anyone asked him how he did it he would just laugh and said that everything would be explained later on. The wedding was small just like the couple wanted with only close friends and family along with all of Fairy Tail that pretty much went into both categories.

They had the reception at the guild where the couple had their first dance as a married couple and were given gifts by all of their guests. They were your standard gifts that you would expect people to give a newly married couple, all except for Natsu who said that his gift was going to be given to them once they were about to leave on their honeymoon so they couldn't argue with him about it. This of course got Alzack and Bisca a little nervous but soon forgot about it as they enjoyed themselves while being with their friends and family.

No one was surprised seeing Ultear keeping Natsu all to herself during all of the celebrations and dancing with him whenever she got the chance. But the thing that did surprise everyone was the fact that Natsu looked like he was really enjoying himself with Ultear being glued to his hip and he would occasionally be seen whispering things to Ultear that would cause her to have various reactions. These reactions ranged from bursting into laughter to her having a faint blush and unfortunately for Natsu sometimes causing her to even glare at him with what some would call killing intent.

Since it was a wedding and everyone was thinking about couples and things like that. Natsu and Ultear became the new couple that everyone was trying to guess when they would officially start dating which then of course lead into people guessing when they would tie the knot. And it only kept going on from there, but the two didn't let it bother them at all and just enjoyed being together with the rest of their family and friends even if all of them were crazy.

Which they did until the newly married couple were about to leave making Natsu stop Alzack and Bisca at the door and handed them an envelope and congratulated them while pushing them out of the doors and then going back to the party. That kept going as is the fashion of Fairy Tail, since when they party they go until most of the members are passed out.

"This is a lot smaller than I was expecting." said Alzack with a smile as they sat down in the carriage that was going to take them to their honeymoon at the beach.

"Open it Alzack so we can finally figure out what he's been always smiling about." stated Bisca who got irritated at Natsu always smiling at the two of them after he bought them his gift.

"It's just a note with a set of keys." said Alzack as he pulled them out of the envelope with a confused expression.

"What do you think the keys are for?" asked Bisca knowing that since they were from Natsu they could be for absolutely anything.

"Hopefully the note will tell us." stated Alzack who quickly read the note and now had an even more confused expression.

"What did it say?" asked his wife.

"It was just an address and saying enjoy." he replied back as he showed Bisca.

"Let's go and take a look since it will only take a few minutes." suggested Bisca.

"Driver could you please swing by this address before we leave Magnolia?" asked Alzack as he passed the note to the driver.

"You're the boss Mr. Connell." replied the driver that then changed their direction to the new address.

"This is the residential area of Magnolia and one of the nicer ones where the places actually have yards." stated Bisca as she looked where they were heading.

"What in the world did he buy and leave out here?" asked Alzack as the carriage came to a stop.

"Here we are Mr. and Misses Connell the place you want is on your right." said the driver as he opened the door for them.

"Thanks." they both said as they got out and went to where he directed them and were surprised because it was a nice big house with a well-kept lawn. Judging from how big the house looked from outside they had to guess that it was a four bedroom house with everything else that any family could ever want since it was two stories tall.

"Why on earth would he send us here?" asked Bisca who was really confused about this.

"Bisca look at the mail box." said Alzack as he pointed at it in complete shock. Because securely fastened to the mail box was a sign saying "The Connell's".

"He bought us a house!" shouted Bisca in disbelief.

"It would appear so." said Alzack with a smile.

"Why would Natsu do that when he needs a new place from what I've heard?" asked Bisca looking at Alzack for an answer.

"He's fine with how crowded his place is Bisca. Natsu actually told me that he can't help but smile every time he wakes up knowing that there are five other people living with him like they are their own little family." replied Alzack.

"But wouldn't they be happier in a bigger place?" asked Bisca.

"Who knows, they all seem pretty happy if you ask me. And Natsu said that he was actually thinking about adding on to his place since they could use a few more rooms. But I honestly think that Natsu just likes living in the woods is the main reason that he isn't using this house for himself." answered Alzack.

"This is just too much Alzack, we can't accept this." stated Bisca.

"If that's what you want Bisca, because it sounded like Natsu had a plan for it if we didn't accept it. But you know that he'll not be happy about it." stated Alzack as they made their way back to the carriage.

"I know that Alzack, but how can we accept this when it probably costed him a few hundred thousand jewels?" asked Bisca as they sat back down in carriage.

"Well this is something that Natsu told me the other day Bisca. He said that he was extremely happy to see that we weren't letting what happened to the Tenrou group hold us back from what we wanted. And that we were a great role model for everyone else in Fairy Tail to follow and that just from seeing us do this. He knew that if he wasn't around that we wouldn't let anything bad happen to Fairy Tail in his absence." said Alzack who could tell that Natsu was completely serious when he told him that.

"That makes it sound that he's getting prepared to die." stated Bisca.

"He kind of is Bisca, just think about it. Natsu now has to go out here every time a drake shows up and fight with it too the death, and the last time showed everyone how possible it is for him to not come back to us. So he's of course going to try and do the most with each and every day. Which is probably another reason why Natsu is willing to pretty much give away his jewels because he know that they will be worthless to him if he dies." explained Alzack with a frown.

"That's terrible." replied Bisca.

"It is but do you see Natsu complaining?" asked Alzack.

"No Natsu's always either smiling or grinning while helping other members of the guild out." stated Bisca.

"That he is Bisca, so let's accept this gift if only to not make him loss that smile. And also so he knows that if the unspeakable happens he'll have helped us out which is something that he is always trying to do for all of the guild." said Alzack.

"Alright Alzack we'll accept the house but we'll pay him back for it." stated Bisca with a determined look in her eyes.

"I was thinking the same thing Bisca, but now we have to figure out how to do that for someone who doesn't care about jewels since he did just give us a house." stated Alzack with a smile.

"I know we'll figure out something, but that can wait until after our honeymoon." said Bisca as she leaned her head against his chest while closing her eyes.

 **A month later:**

Macao decided that the day after the wedding he would make an announcement in Sorcerer's Weekly about them carrying on the Fantasia parade a month later for obvious reasons. While also telling Fiore of Fairy Tail's other plans for the day, which was quite interesting since no other guild did anything like this except for maybe Blue Pegasus but theirs was different because people visited them every day.

So for the past month Fairy Tail continued on like normal except for any free time that any member had went to preparing for the parade or helping the guild get ready to accommodate the visitors they expected to have. Since they were going to be very busy during the whole day until they did the parade at night since most of the guild thought it would be the best time to have it.

It took two weeks after the wedding for Cobra to be back to completely fine, and during that time Kinana and him got really close much to the cringing of Macao which Natsu just laughed at. But when Cobra finally came down into the guild hall everyone expected him to instantly start a fight with Natsu but instead of that he just sat down at the table Natsu was sitting at and started to ask him questions about drakes. And Natsu was more than happy to start filling him in on the details as if they had been friends for years while Sting and Rogue listened in since this was important to them as well.

The guild quickly figured out that Cobra was a very quiet man that seemed to only talk with the dragon slayers, Macao and Kinana. And preferred to be left alone to his thoughts and would only join something if he wanted to. Another thing that they noticed was Cobra would always call Natsu Salamander just like Gajeel did and wondered if it was a slayer thing since Sting still had a problem with calling him Natsu, but that theory was destroyed because Rogue had no problem with calling Natsu by his name. But the the most interesting thing that they learned about Cobra was that his actual name was Erik since that was what Kinana started to call him, but the only other members to start calling him by that were Natsu and Ultear who weren't intimidated by his glare like all of the other members.

Another thing that surprised the guild was that Macao told Natsu that Cobra would be staying with them until he proved himself a loyal member of Fairy Tail since his place was where all of their S-Class mages were staying. And they would be able to subdue him if he tried anything funny even if Natsu wasn't there; Natsu of course argued with Macao that Cobra wasn't going to do anything like that until he at least beat him. But Macao wasn't going to back down on this one which finally resulted in Natsu agreeing to it, which resulted in him having another project to work on which was enlarging his house due to all the people staying with him. This really made Natsu feel as if he was running some sort of hotel, but he was happy that he wasn't alone which would have only made him remember that the Tenrou group was gone and he couldn't stop it.

That brings us to the present which is the day of the Fantasia parade which all of the guild except for Cobra was excited about. Causing all of the members to wake up bright and early to get things ready for the big day that was going to let the rest of Fiore know that they were still there and strong if Natsu destroying Twilight Ogre wasn't a big enough message. So some of the members were doing the last touches on the floats for the parade while others were getting the guild hall and training area ready for people to participate in the festivities of the day. While a select group of members were gathered outside of the restaurant that Natsu owned with his friend Kenta who was also with them.

"Wow that really does look like the old guild hall." stated Droy as he looked at the restaurant with a fond smile.

"Well if you ignore that the sign just says FT." said Jet who had the same look as Droy on his face along with everyone else there.

"We couldn't call it Fairy Tail because that would be confusing, so we decided to just go with FT." explained Natsu as he made his way through the outdoor seating with everyone following.

"You couldn't come up with a better name Natsu?" asked Laki with a smirk.

"Hey if you guys have a problem with the name, take it up with Kenta and Master Macao because they are the ones that came up with it. Honestly I really don't care what it's called as long as Kenta keeps cooking his great food here." replied Natsu as he opened the door for them to go through.

"Like any of you guys could have come up with a better name." stated Macao with a glare directed at all of his mages who only chuckled at him.

"I am pretty sure all of us could have done that Master Macao." said Bisca as everyone but Natsu nodded their heads in agreement.

"Well it's too late now." said Macao as he rolled his eyes.

"I like it, you still know that it's related to Fairy Tail this way." pointed out Kenta who was standing next to Natsu waiting for the members of Fairy Tail to enter the restaurant.

"Are you guys going to enter or not?" asked Natsu with slight irritation in his voice.

"Settle down Natsu we're all just admiring how much this actually looks like the old guild. Here take this it'll probably make you less cranky." said Wakaba as he then handed Natsu a big cigar.

"Thanks Wakaba and I just want to show you all the inside and two other things before we go back and help out the rest of the members." stated Natsu as he then pulled out a lighter and lit the cigar.

"Does this other thing have to do with why your gang isn't with us?" asked Jet who actually found it weird to not see Ultear right next to Natsu when he was just standing around casually like he was now. Since Natsu was usually extremely busy doing all of his side projects while also training members in the guild and his two young dragon slayer apprentices.

"I guess so since this place has a lot of our past displayed and Macao and I wanted to make sure that all of you were fine with it being displayed to the public when we open it today. And please tell us if you don't want any of it displayed for any reason at all, because the last thing we want is for one of you to be upset about something being on display." said Natsu as they all finally went into the guild. And instantly all of them became silent as they walked into an exact replica of their main room in their guild hall now with the exception of photos being hung up everywhere.

"But before you all start taking a look around by yourself, this is what I wanted to show you in here." said Natsu as he led them to a huge portrait in an expensive frame on one side of the room. The people in the portrait were all of the Tenrou Group gathered at the docks all standing together with bright smiles on their faces, all clearly excited to be going to the S-Class exams. And underneath it was a plaque that read: _The Tenrou Group. Though they are temporarily gone they will never to be forgotten as all of Fair Tail waits for their joyous return. Who all vow to watch over Fiore in their absence as they would've wanted_. With all of their names listed underneath that so that you could easily identify who was who, needless to say some of the members were brought to tears just at looking at the painting of all their missing friends with smiling faces.

"I can't believe that it's almost been a full year." said Wakaba with a slight frown.

"It seems like just yesterday that they left for those exams." stated Laki who had a slightly sad expression like everyone else.

"Who did this?" asked Kinana as a small smile spread across her face.

"That would be me Kinana, Master Makarov wanted something to commemorate the exams so he had me draw this before they left." said Reedus who also eventually started to smile back at the portrait that he painted.

"He asked for a painting this big?" asked Max.

"No Max, it was Natsu who asked for one this big. Master Makarov only wanted a small one that he could keep for himself and Reedus you still need more practice because that was too easy for me to do." said Warren with a big grin.

"Sorry but my emotions got the better of me." said Reedus still smiling at the portrait of the Tenrou group.

"How did Natsu even know about this one then?" asked Vijeeter.

"Well I actually asked Reedus if he had any pictures or paintings of just them and this was the only one." answered Natsu.

"It's a really good painting but you do have something wrong on it." stated Alzack.

"And what would that be?" asked Natsu with a slight glare causing Alzack to gulp.

"He's talking about Laxus being there, which he wasn't since he was kicked out of the guild." pointed out Bisca causing the rest to realize that she was right about that.

"Oh that, that isn't a mistake because I asked Reedus to add him in." replied Natsu with his usual grin.

"And why in the world would you ask him to do that?" asked Nab.

"Because Laxus was there with the rest of them, holding hands with a small smile on his face. So he belongs in the painting as well, even if he wasn't a member of Fairy Tail when he left us he sure as hell was one of us before they disappeared." stated Natsu with a determined look in his eyes.

"I agree with you on that one Natsu." said Kinana with a warm smile.

"Once a member of Fairy Tail always a member of Fiary Tail." stated Laki also having a warm smile as everyone else nodded their heads in agreement.

"So what do you think of it?" asked Natsu motioning to the portrait.

"I think it's great Natsu because it'll let everyone that comes here know why we're the best guild in all of Fiore." said Wakaba with a small grin.

"It'll also let them know what we fight for." stated Alzack who was standing behind Bisca and giving her a loving hug from behind.

"I think that it is so far my favorite thing here." said Laki.

"Glad to hear, now feel free to take a look around and also at the menu." said Natsu as he then made his way to the bar where Kenta was already sitting so that they had some privacy.

And for the next hour they all explored the entire restaurant checking out what Macao and Natsu decided to hang up here with the help of Reedus of course. Most of the time they would laugh at the pictures looking back at the fond memories that they had of when that certain event happened, which more than likely revolved around Natsu doing something stupid causing all sorts of mayhem to ensue. They also noticed that most of the pictures had at least one of the Tenrou group in them somewhere, even if they were in the background. Which made some of them realize how much Natsu missed them and this was one of his ways to make sure that they wouldn't be forgotten.

None of them found anything that they wouldn't want other people seeing in the photos. And as for the information about the mages that were being displayed, they were the very basic and only contained things that pretty much everyone knew. And the only things that weren't common knowledge were random facts that were funny or strange in a way that people would find interesting like Lily's favorite food is Kiwi. This ended their exploring of the restaurant as they went into the huge gift shop that was attached to the restaurant.

"Wow this is huge." stated Max who usually ran the one at the guild hall.

"Talk to Master Macao about that." mumbled Natsu as he rolled his eyes since he thought Macao was too concerned about jewels.

"Look at all this new merchandise." said Nab as he gestured to all of the Fairy Tail apparel and souvenirs.

"I think Natsu is just mad at his new figurine." stated Droy with a smirk as he lifted up one that now looked like Natsu did now.

"At least I have one." replied Natsu who looked like he wanted to leave the store.

"But I do have one Natsu, and it looks like most of the guild members have one." said Droy as he held up a figurine of himself and nodded at what he saw since it depicted his new physic which was a lot better than a year ago.

"Good for you and that's not why I'm angry, I am just mad that Master Macao had some figurines made of our younger members when I asked him not to." stated Natsu.

"Natsu they wanted to have them and I saw no reason to not to, unlike Sting and Rogue being dragon slayers. Which is still a secret to most of Fiore and why they don't have their own figurines, and I thought we over this?" asked Macao.

"We are, but that still won't stop me from not liking it Master Macao." replied Natsu.

"Does this have to do with these three specifically?" asked Wakaba as he pointed to figurines of Meredy, Kei and Kagura.

"That it does Wakaba, it seems that Natsu is starting to become extremely protective of them." answered Maco with a little chuckle.

"Sorry that I don't want perverts like you two buying little figurines of them. Now let's go to the final thing that I wanted to show all of you and is the real reason that I bought this piece of land and some other ones around Magnolia." said Natsu as he started to leave.

"You bought other property Natsu?" asked Warren.

"That I did Warren, but I pretty much left whatever was on top of the land stay the same and keep doing whatever it was doing before." answered Natsu as they were now outside next to a large statue of a fairy.

"Then what were you doing with them?" asked Reedus since this was something actually knew to him.

"This, it's an underground bunker that the citizens of Magnolia can use if a drake ever comes here. And now there are twenty four more of these spread throughout Magnolia, which is where members of Fairy Tail will escort people if a drake does show up." explained Natsu as he sent some of his fire into a hole on the statue that caused it to slide to the side revealing stairs going down.

"Is that enough bunkers to hold all of Magnolia?" asked Bisca.

"Just barely, but it's all I could get the mayor to agree to right away. But now that I paid for all of them and now own all of the property he would probably be open to building more." answered Natsu.

"Why would you pay for all of them Natsu if the city of Magnolia was going to build them?" asked Vijeeter with a confused expression.

"It was the only way to get Kardia Cathedral and also get them done before the end of next year." stated Natsu with a small growl and scowl.

"So that's how you got us to have our wedding there." said Bisca who was glad to find out that Natsu didn't threaten the Mayor which was the running theory at Fairy Tail.

"That must have costed you a fortune not to mention how much you'll have to pay in property tax." stated Alzack after figuring out that Natsu had spent a million jewels on the house he bought for him and Bisca and already had the property tax paid in advance for the next ten years.

"It did Alzack but it will be well worth it if these save just one person who otherwise wouldn't have made it. As for the property tax the Mayor and I have an agreement that if they ever get used and save lives of the citizens then I won't have to pay those stupid things again on any property of mine that has a bunker." replied Natsu.

"How are you even able to pay for all of this Natsu?" asked Wakaba.

"I get five million jewels per drake that I take care of for the Council and I have already dealt with eight, but that is actually starting to run out." answered Natsu making Wakaba want to hit himself for forgetting that.

"I would think so if you have twenty four more of these things Natsu. And will they be enough to stop a drake?" asked Laki with a concerned look.

"They should be able to, but the real purpose is to actually hide the citizens from the drakes since some of them enjoy senselessly killing humans." said Natsu who looked like he wanted to hit something.

"But won't they just be able to smell them down there?" asked Droy.

"They would if I didn't have that in mind while designing them, and I can't smell anything down there when the door is closed. Meaning that the drakes shouldn't be able to either, at least that is what I am hoping for. And if they can I won't let any of them try and break in." declared Natsu as he clenched his fists.

"How long will we be able to stay down there?" asked Macao who was only given the brief details on this plan two months ago.

"From what the Mayor's calculated, only for a day if all of Magnolia is down in the bunkers. Which should be more than enough time for me and Cobra to deal with the drakes or for them to get bored and leave if we should both fall." answered Natsu with a grin that didn't belong on someone who was just talking about dying.

"Well lets head back to the guild and start helping them with preparations." said Macao who didn't want to talk about Natsu kicking the bucket.

"Sounds good Master Macao, oh and here are some copies of all the places where the bunkers are located so that everyone can learn where they are at. So that what happened at Senna won't happen to Magnolia." said Natsu as he handed a pile of maps with all of the bunkers clearly labeled to Macao.

"I assume that you don't have to be the one to open the doors Natsu?" asked Macao as he accepted the stack of maps.

"The Mayor has a switch that will open all of them while sounding an alarm like he does for the Gildarts shift. Also anyone with a Fairy Tail emblem can open them up like I did here, oh and the other bunkers aren't hidden yet like the one I just showed you guys." answered Natsu as he took the lead since he was excited for what they were going to be doing for the rest of the day.

 **End of Chapter**

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Thanks for reading and I don't really have anything on my mind right now so I guess I'll wrap this up. So as always feel free to leave me a review and I will try to respond back to you.**

 **Until the next Chapter**

 **Digem Out!**


	12. Fantasia and a Drake

Ch 12: Fantasia and a Drake

 **Fairy Tail late morning:**

"We're back everyone!" shouted Natsu as he came through the front doors of the guild.

"Good then that means you can start helping me." stated Ultear who was working on the schedule of the fight's for the day.

"I would love to Ultear, and I would be happy to fight as much as you'll let me." stated Natsu with a big grin as he sat down in his usual spot at the bar next to her.

"I know you are which is why you are in half of them, and also why you are picked as the favorite to win each of them." said Ultear after letting out a sigh wondering how Cana was able to make sure that she always made money whenever she got the guild betting.

"Oh come on Ultear, I could easily lose to someone else. I still haven't won against any of the S-Class mages from the Tenrou group." said Natsu as his grin slowly faded away.

"Very true Natsu, so how did it go?" asked Ultear as she grabbed his left hand with her right and gave it a quick squeeze.

"It actually went better than I expected, they all seemed to like the pictures that we picked out. The really like the portrait of the Tenrou Group before they left for the exams, Reedus really out did himself on that one." replied Natsu as he continued to hold Ultear's hand.

"When they eventually return Natsu they'll be impressed with what you've all been able to do in their absence." stated Ultear trying her best to cheer him up.

"Don't you mean what we've done Ultear, because you and Meredy have been helping out since day one?" asked Natsu as his mischievous grin spread across his face.

"Sorry about that Natsu but whenever we talk about them it's hard to remember that we are now a part of their family. It's probably because Meredy and I were their enemies the last time we saw any of them." said Ultear as a frown graced her beautiful face as she tried to let go of Natsu's hand. But he had a different idea about that so he kept holding it as he looked at her straight in the eyes.

"Ultear, how many times have I told you that you need to let go of that? Because it's in the past and you are now the great person that I always knew you were, and I am not the only one that sees that Ultear. The rest of the guild sees it as well and are extremely happy that you are one of us now, and I know a few that would do anything to keep you here. One such person is our jewel crazy Master who keeps praising you for all the jewels you save him by restoring the guild back to its original state after a brawl." said Natsu with a huge smile on his face as he watched Ultear become happier as he reassured her about her doubts.

"Hey you would be concerned about jewels too if you didn't become rich off of dealing with the drakes." said Macao with a glare from the second level causing Ultear to chuckle at him.

"I really don't think I would be Master Macao since I never had much before all of this." stated Natsu as he grinned back at him.

"That's probably true, but you would be if you were the Master of Fairy Tail and had to deal with all of that paper work and bills." replied Macao as he made his way down to them.

"Well I am glad that I not Master Macao, because that would probably kill me before the drakes could even try." said Natsu with a smile and a chuckle since only he and Macao found his comment funny. Everyone else lost their grins or smiles thinking about what it would be like if Natsu didn't return from dealing with the next drake or drakes that showed up.

"That you would Natsu and I would love to see you trying to fill out all those forms." said Macao while still chuckling with Natsu.

"I would actually like to see that as well Master Macao, but why do I feel like I would have to wear glasses while doing it?" asked Natsu as he stopped chuckling.

"I don't know why Natsu but I too had an image of you in glasses." replied Macao with a grin as the two of them started to laugh again.

"Dad when is it going to start?" asked Romeo as he was bouncing around barely able to contain his excitement.

"Just in a few minutes Romeo, but why are you excited since you can come here whenever you want?" asked Macao as he looked at his happy son.

"Because now I get to train with everyone else, since you still won't let me do that for some reason." replied Romeo with a huge smile on his face as he looked up at his dad and Natsu.

"That's because you still haven't gotten complete control of your fire yet and we wouldn't want you accidentally burning someone now would we?" explained Macao.

"True but I couldn't even burn Natsu if I wanted to." argued Romeo with a pout on his face.

"Romeo we've been over this already, he's too busy to help you out." stated Macao with a small frown at seeing how sad Romeo was about that.

"How told you that Macao?" asked Natsu with a slightly confused face.

"No one did Natsu, but I can already see how busy you are and I didn't want to give you more to worry about." replied Macao with a sheepish grin.

"What in the world are you talking about Macao, this wouldn't be a bother at all? I would be more than happy to help Romeo with his magic and start him on his path to becoming the greatest fire mage Fiore has ever seen. Besides I am always willing to help out anyone who's a member of Fairy Tail, and that of course includes soon to be members." said Natsu with a smirk as he watch Romeo's eyes light back up and a smile return to his face.

"Do you mean it Natsu?" asked Romeo.

"Of course I do buddy, but like your dad said I am pretty busy so I am going to have you join me and the other dragon slayers during our training." replied Natsu still sporting the smirk.

"That is going to be so awesome!" cheered Romeo as he started to jump up and down in joy.

"Natsu he won't be able to handle that." declared Macao as he glared at Natsu.

"I know which is why he'll always have his own lesson that is tailored to him, which I just so happen to already have planned out. And I was only waiting for you to start letting him train his magic which I am still waiting for the okay." said Natsu as he looked back at Macao as Romeo stopped rejoicing since it seemed like he might not be able to start training yet.

"He's just so young." stated Macao as he looked at Romeo who was giving him the puppy dog eyes right now.

"I know Master Macao and I would have waited more if the drakes didn't start showing up. Making this world a little more dangerous than it already was, where everyone needs to learn how to defend themselves if necessary and as soon as possible." replied Natsu with a very serious expression.

"I know that Natsu, but he's still only a kid." said Macao who was able to resist the puppy dog eyes that his son was giving him.

"That is why everything will be at his level and mainly focusing on getting control of his magic so he doesn't hurt himself or anyone else by accident. Also all of the more serious things that I do with the other slayers will be done when he's not around." stated Natsu as he waited to see what Macao would think of this.

"Aww but that sounds like so much fun." pouted Romeo.

"And you promise that he'll only be doing thing that a normal mage can do?" asked Macao.

"Of course Master Macao, I have Sting and Rogue to put through hell." replied Natsu with a little grin.

"Okay Natsu, but Romeo remember that this is a privilege that you have to keep earning by giving Natsu one hundred percent of your effort." said Macao.

"I can't wait." cheered Romeo who then took off to go and tell a few other members the great news.

"HAHAHA he sure has a lot of energy." said Natsu while laughing at how excited Romeo was to start training.

"Says the person that was twice as rowdy when he first joined." stated Macao.

"What can I say expect for I was excited to be a member of the greatest guild ever." said Natsu which got a few members to cheer in approval.

"Master Macao isn't it about time that you go and tell the people outside that we're going to start the events of the day?" asked Kinana as she handed Natsu a cigar that he light with the lighter that he always had on him now.

"That's right I need to go out there and explain everything to them about how we're going to be doing this." said Macao as he headed to the door as fast as he could without actually running.

"Well I guess that means we should all head to our stations then." stated Natsu as he got up and started to stretch.

"I knew that you wouldn't be having at least two of those cigars a day within a month of your first one." said Wakaba as he came up to Natsu.

"How many times do I have to tell you that it's not the same for me Macao since I am actually eating all of the smoke and fire. Where you on the other hand are doing it for the effects that it has on you." replied Natsu.

"You just keep telling yourself that Natsu." stated Wakaba as he continued on past Natsu to where ever he was supposed to be for the day.

"Alright Fairy Tail let's show our guests and the rest of Fiore why we are the number one guild in Fiore!" shouted Natsu instantly getting the rest of the guild cheering as their doors opened and people came rushing in.

And so the day of the Fantasia Parade finally started with a surprising amount of people coming to the Fairy Tail guild hall. Some of them instantly followed Natsu out back to either talk with him or do the activities that they had out there which were either trying to go through their training or going to the arena to watch the fights up close and start betting.

The rest of the visitors started to talk with the other members of Fairy Tail while they admired the inside of the guild that was known for their brawls, while some of them ordering food and drinks. So for the next three hours everything was running smoothly and everyone was having a really good time, with most of the people watching the previous fight which was Natsu against Jet and Krish. This also happened to be the fight that had the highest chance of Natsu actually losing since his opponents where extremely fast and had great teamwork because of all the training that they did together.

But like most of Fairy Tail predicted Natsu won, but for a while there they actually thought that Natsu was going to lose since he was on the receiving end of a major beat down for most of the fight. That is until he did a move that no one but the slayers and his close group, ever saw him do which was blast smoke everywhere in an instant. This was followed up by little explosions of flames shooting out of different areas in the arena with Natsu finally dispersing the smoke to reveal that he was now standing proud with both Jet and Krish knocked out and a few new burns as souvenirs.

After that fight it was finally Natsu's turn to stay in the guild and socialize with their guests, which shocked him since as soon as he came in he was instantly swarmed by most of the people there. All of them asking about the drakes and him using smoke in the most recent battle. They were also asking him questions about the Tenrou group and his relationship with the new member of Fairy Tail with purple hair. Natsu was completely overwhelmed by all of this and was having a really hard time answering any of the questions because they kept coming at him before he could answer the previous one.

"Alright everyone, it would seem that Natsu needs to have his own little press conference so he can properly answer your questions." said Ultear as she cleared a path for herself leading straight to Natsu with her ice magic, while also giving Natsu some space.

"That you Ultear they wouldn't stop asking me the same questions over and over again." stated Natsu as he gave her an endearing smile.

"Always glad to help Natsu, but you are still going to have to answer their questions." replied Ultear as she led him to the stage.

"Fine but I have never been good at speaking with people." mumbled Natsu since he only liked being the center of attention when he was fighting because he was extremely confident in those skills of his.

"Well this will be good practice for you then." said Ultear as she gave him a sly grin.

"Practice for what?" asked Natsu giving her a questioning look.

"For the future of course, alright everyone this is how we are going to do this and if you don't follow our instructions then Natsu is done with answering questions. You will raise your hand if you have a question for him and will only ask it if I call on you, otherwise you will remain quiet so someone else can ask a question that Natsu will be able to understand and answer." explained Ultear while giving off an intimidating aura. This caused the entire guild to quiet down and a few people gathered in front of the stage to raise their hands.

"Glad to see that you all can follow instructions, and you are our first question." said Ultear as she pointed to a man in the front row.

"Salamander in that last fight you just used some sort of smoke bomb to disorient your opponents, would you please explain why you did that since you are known to only use your fire?" asked the man which surprised a few of the members of Fairy Tail since it sounded almost like a question that a reporter would ask.

"First of that wasn't a smoke bomb, it was actually a spell that I came up with a while ago that gives me a huge advantage as you all just saw. " answered Natsu.

"But I thought that you could only use fire magic." stated the man.

"Nope I can use a few others now but most of them aren't for combat like my fire or smoke magic." replied Natsu with a little grin.

"What prompted you to start learning new types of magic Salamander?" asked the next person that Ultear picked.

"Well I would have to say that Ultear here is the main reason, since she showed me that magic is very useful outside of combat as well. Which is why I learned re-equip and telepathy magic to overall make my life easier, but the smoke magic kind of happened by accident." answered Natsu.

"And could you tell us about this accident?" asked another person from the crowd.

"Sure, on my most recent encounter with the drakes that have been coming into Fiore recently. There were two smoke drakes that were really close to killing me and my friend so I made a really stupid decision to eat their smoke which allowed me to beat the both of them while also protecting my friend. But it unfortunately put me into a coma for a while." answered Natsu with a sheepish grin.

"Is that why you were absent for about a month?" asked the same person.

"Yep but I am really surprised that you even noticed." replied Natsu.

"I along with a lot of Fiore find this whole drake story that you came up with after Fairy Tail's strongest members died is kind of hard to believe. While also very convenient since you are the only dragon slayer around that supposedly can even leave a scratch on them. So how are we supposed to believe such wild tales from a mage that used to be the most destructive person in Fiore?" asked a man with a smug grin on his face while all of the Fairy Tail members had faces of complete horror at what the idiot just said to Natsu.

"First of the Tenrou group is not dead and if you say that to me again I will show you just why I used to be the most destructive mage in Fiore. Secondly I am not the only dragon slayer out there, I just so happen to be the only one willing to risk my life to protect ungrateful idiots like you. And if I am indeed making all of this up then why has the Council been paying me to handle something that doesn't exist, because I can see that you know that the Council has never really liked Fairy Tail because of our destructive tendencies. Also I would love to see you go to Senna and tell the survivors there that I made this all up and drakes don't exist. I would predict that they would beat the living shit out of you which I am really tempted to do after you spewing all of that crap to my face." said Natsu in a gravelly voice as he glared at the man while smoke started to billow off of him. Needless to say the man instantly lost his smug grin and was too scared to even move which was actually happening to the rest of the crowd as well.

"Natsu calm down, you're scaring everyone else along with him." stated Ultear as she put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a small smile.

"Sorry about that everyone, I am just a little touchy about people saying that my friends are dead. And the same can be said when someone disrespects a whole town that has gone through a terrible tragedy by saying that there is no such thing as drakes." said Natsu with his usual friendly grin that somehow calmed down most of the crowd.

"Now I know that you just said that it was a touchy subject but could you please tell us why you are confident that the Tenrou group is alive? When the Council has just ruled them to be legally dead." asked a new person.

"Because I was there when they disappeared, and the Council is doing that because I can't show them any proof of them still being alive. But they also can't prove that they are actually dead so it's going to be my word against theirs and I was the only one there so I don't really care what they think because I know that they will be back eventually." stated Natsu with a sad smile.

"How many drakes have you had to kill Salamander?" asked a little boy with a big smile.

"Unfortunately eight." answered Natsu with a small grin as he watched the boy's smile get bigger at his response.

"And why did you say that it was unfortunately eight?" asked a young lady with a note pad in her hand.

"Because all life is precious and should never be taken for granted and if I could have solved it peacefully I would have. But that is not what any of them wanted so they forced me to kill them before they killed anyone else." answered Natsu as he noticed that the lady was writing everything that he said down on her note pad.

"Salamander I don't know if this is a sensitive issue but do you mind telling us about all of the new scars that you have? If not I completely understand." said a younger man with a nervous expression on his face as Natsu looked at him.

"Don't mind at all and most of them are from me fighting drakes and having to seal my own wounds with my fire which always results with me getting new scars. And I would probably have a lot more if Wendy didn't join the guild when she did, as you can see from how many I now have since she disappeared." answered Natsu as he traced the three going over his left eye while having a slight grin on his face.

"So what's your relationship to Ultear, Salamander?" asked a lady about Natsu's age.

"We're really close friends and partners that will always have the others back." answered Natsu causing the lady to smile and Ultear to now slightly have a frown.

"Are you sure about that Salamander, because I have been informed that you two are always together and even live in the same house?" asked a man with a smirk.

"Isn't that what partners do?" asked Natsu with a slightly confused look.

"Yes they do Salamander, but what I am trying to ask is do you think that you two will ever be more than just friends and partners in the future?" asked the same man before Ultear could pick someone else.

"Well I have only known her for the past year and I can honestly say that without her I don't know if I would still be here. She's given me the support that I have needed to keep fighting for what I believe in and has also made it one of the best times of my life even though the Tenrou group disappeared. She's one of the strongest women that I have ever had the pleasure of becoming friends with and is just as caring as me. And she is willing to do anything to protect those that she cares about, while also being surprisingly funny when she chooses to be. So I would have to say that I can definitely see us becoming more than just friends in the future as long as she wants to that is." stated Natsu as he gazed at Ultear fondly, as she stared to slightly blush at Natsu saying that in front of all these strangers and the rest of the guild.

But then again Natsu was honest to a fault when he was actually talking so she wasn't that surprised about him saying this. The rest of the people gathered on the other hand couldn't believe that he actually said that to all of them, causing a few girls to start glaring at Ultear as the rest of the women could only aww at Natsu so openly saying what he thinks of her.

After that question Natsu stopped getting questions that sounded as if he was in an interview and started to get ones like what was his favorite food or color. Or to tell a story about his past that was funny or even ones that involved him and a specific person from the Tenrou group. Natsu of course liked these questions a lot better because they were ones that he could answer without even thinking about them and could be himself. This continued on until the guild got some very unexpected guests that Natsu hadn't seen since the Lullaby incident, which were some of the Masters from the other guilds.

"Natsu you have some very important guests that would like to have a few words with you." said Macao with a big grin as Natsu made his way over to them.

"Wow I haven't seen most of you since I accidentally destroyed your meeting hall while getting rid of Lullaby." said Natsu with a smirk as he came over with a cigar now in his mouth.

"HAHAHA it's good to see you again Natsu." said Goldmine as he shook his hand.

"Oh dear what happened to your beautiful face Natsu?" asked Bob as he gave Natsu a hug that the dragon slayer would have rather not received.

"Oh you know just battling a dragon, so what did you guys want to see me about?" asked Natsu as moved the cigar to the right side of his mouth.

"You young ones are always so impatient, and trying to do everything as fast as possible." stated Ooba who was standing next to her guild's Ace Jura Neekis who was grinning back at Natsu.

"I apologize if I was being rude Master Ooba, I just didn't want to waste your time since you are all important mages who have their own guilds to run." said Natsu as he gave them a quick bow which shocked most of them since just a year ago they were listening to Makarov complain constantly about Natsu and him never respecting anyone of a higher rank than him and constantly getting into trouble.

"You've changed a lot Natsu since our last meeting." said Jura with a smile as he shook Natsu's hand.

"Well a lot has happened since then Jura, Fairy Tail even has another one of its old enemies as a member that you might remember." said Natsu as he pointed to the lacrima screen that showed Cobra fighting Kagura which appeared to be a very even match.

"You have another dragon slayer and it's Cobra?" asked Jura in complete disbelief.

"That we do Jura since the Council knew that I could handle him because I was the one who defeated him before. Also it'll help with the drakes that have been showing up and getting into trouble." answered Natsu as he watched the two fight and started to see that Cobra was going to win this one.

"That's incredible, he's someone that I thought would never join a legal guild." stated Jura who was still shocked by this.

"HAHAHAHA what can I say Jura, I made an impressive argument that he couldn't disagree with." replied Natsu with a grin.

"By that you mean you beat him to within an inch of his life so that he knew he had no chance of beating you anytime soon." stated Ultear as she joined the group, shocking some of the Masters since they knew of her when she was on the Council. Most of them had heard that she got her record completely cleaned somehow but never would have imagined that she would now be a member of Fairy Tail.

"Hey Ultear what are you doing here, and how many times do I have to explain that I needed to do that because we're both dragon slayers?" asked Natsu as Ultear hugged him from behind.

"Oh I completely understand Natsu but you weren't telling Jura the complete truth. And I am here because Master Macao asked me to come since its apparently big news or something like that." replied Ultear while still hugging Natsu.

"Whatever Ultear, and me and Cobra were talking while we were fighting." stated Natsu which caused Ultear to start laughing at him.

"Well let's continue on, because those two will continue on like that for hours if you let them." stated Macao as he rolled his eyes.

"Oh, okay but which one should be discuss first?" asked Jura who was the first to recover from Ultear making her appearance and then acting all lovey dovey with Natsu of all people.

"That's up to you guys." stated Macao.

"Well we might as well start with why multiple guild Masters came to visit you guys." stated Goldmine.

"That would probably be the best action to take." said Bob with a big smile as he looked at Ultear and Natsu.

"Then why did neither of you two say anything? That's why I don't like old people either since you all take too long to get to the point." said Ooba which caused a few to roll their eyes for various reasons as she continued.

"Natsu we came here today to ask you to come to the next Masters meeting so that you can tell us and the rest of the Masters what we can do about the drakes. Master Macao here has been stressing the importance of this at the last three meetings even though most of the other Masters just laughed it off as another Fairy Tail thing. But since we know better and don't want another incident like Senna to happen we've come here to ask you personally to help us get the other Masters to realize how serious this is so we can prevent that." said Ooba while never taking her eyes off of Natsu who did the same to her while she was talking.

"I would be glad to do that if it means that there is a slight chance that others will be saved. But how am I supposed to change their minds if they won't even listen to all of you?" asked Natsu as he traced his scars.

"Well Master Macao said that you do have some parts of the drakes that you've been defeating which should be enough for a few of them." said Goldmine hoping that it would be enough.

"Also if you were willing Natsu you could show them your memories of a few of them with the help of one of my mages." said Bob with a hopeful smile on his face.

"I can do both of those, so when's the next meeting?" asked Natsu.

"Next week Natsu and thank you for doing this." said Macao.

"Of course I would Master Macao, there is no way I could ever sit around and let innocent people die when I could do something about it." replied Natsu with his usual grin with the addition of a cigar now finally being lit.

"Natsu since when did you start smoking?" asked Jura who never thought that Natsu would take up such a habit.

"Since I became a Fire and Smoke dragon slayer." replied Natsu still grinning as he watched all of their shocked reactions to this.

"And when did that happen?" asked Jura.

"It started about two months ago but I was in a coma for a month so it's probably more accurate to say a month ago." answered Natsu still enjoying how surprised they all were to hear this.

"Well that even makes their decision more reasonable." whispered Ooba as she looked at Jura who nodded his head in agreement.

"Whose decision about what Master Ooba?" asked Natsu shocking Ooba that he was able to hear them.

"You'll get used to it, all dragon slayers can pretty much hear everything going on in whatever room they're in." stated Ultear seeing the confusion in their faces.

"That is very impressive." said Goldmine as he made a note to never say anything around Natsu that he wouldn't say to his face.

"I guess I might as well get to it then. Natsu the Council has asked me to come to you and formally ask you to going the ranks of the Wizard Saints now that another seat has opened since the passing of Makarov." said Jura who was cut off by a growl coming from Natsu.

"He's not dead Jura, none of them are and they will be coming back I just don't know when yet." said Natsu as he glared at the Wizard Saint.

"Sorry Natsu but as I was saying, since the Council has ruled Master Makarov as dead his place needs to be filled. And they think that you would make a great tenth Wizard Saint after your recent changes since the disappearance of the Tenrou group and you handling the drakes." explained Jura as he watched Natsu looking for any sign of his answer. But once again everyone was surprised by Natsu's response which was to break into laughter that lasted for a good five minutes with everyone completely shocked by him doing this.

"Oh man that is hilarious." stated Natsu as he wiped away a tear.

"Natsu this isn't a joke at all." stated Jura as he glared at Natsu.

"Sorry Jura I know that this is a serious issue. But you do have to admit that it is kind of funny that they are asking the one person in Fiore that they tried so hard to get rid of because of his old destructive tendencies. Not only that but they even went to great lengths to not let any of the good things that I did be released to the public." explained Natsu having a smile on his face.

"I guess that I can see how you would find that amusing." replied Jura with a small smile.

"So what's your answer Natsu?" asked Macao who had a good idea what Natsu was going to say to all of this.

"I will pass." said Natsu nonchalantly to the surprise of the other Masters.

"Why would you turn down such an honor Natsu?" asked Goldmine.

"Because I don't want or need it. Also I don't think that the Council is doing this for any of the reasons that you guys are thinking of." stated Natsu with a serious expression since this was now dealing with the Council.

"How so Natsu?" asked Bob.

"Well let's just say that ever since what happened at Tenrou Island me and the Council have been in each other's faces. And they are not a fan of how I am doing whatever I want right now, you could consider me as a wild card that has never been a fan of the Council for numerous valid reasons. So of course the Council is going to try and stop that and one of the easiest ways to do that would be getting me to join them. And if I did that I would get more responsibilities and have to do all sorts of missions for them whenever they want me to. And I have a feeling that I would only be getting the missions that have a really low chance of survival." explained Natsu to the completely shocked guild Masters because it seemed like Natsu predicted that they would eventually offer this to him.

"The Council would never do any of that Natsu; this is only a show of them finally recognizing how much you've helped Fiore. And also them acknowledging your strength and power as a mage which is at the level of a Wizard Saint since you are dealing with the drakes all by yourself." argued Jura who clearly didn't like the way Natsu was talking about the Council.

"I don't think you would be thinking that Jura if they did the same things to you and your guild that they did to me and Fairy Tail. But you could be correct on this and even still my answer would be no because I am already too busy dealing with these drakes and helping Fairy Tail. There is no way for me to handle the responsibilities of being a Wizard Saint as well, so I will stick to being mainly concerned about Fairy Tail and the drakes since it's completely up to me and Cobra right now." replied Natsu with a determined look in his eyes.

"I can understand that Natsu, and I will tell the Council that those are your reasons for not accepting." said Jura with a small smile.

"I am assuming that you are only talking about the last part?" asked Natsu with a grin once again gracing his face.

"You would be correct Natsu, but I have a feeling that they are still going to try and get you to join us." stated Jura.

"I expected that Jura and I can already tell you that my answer is still going to be no. Which still won't stop them from still trying." replied Natsu.

"It seems that you already know how persistent the Council can be." said Jura as he admired how much Natsu had changed from that brash boy he was only a year ago.

"More than you know Jura along with a whole lot of other things that I never would have thought that I would learn about the Council." said Natsu as he looked at Ultear over his shoulder with a grin since she had been hugging him the entire time.

"You've never seemed to complain when I am teaching you while we're alone." said Ultear with a sly smile while enjoying her position of resting her chin on Natsu's shoulder. Even though she would have preferred if it was the other way around but he was at least seeming to enjoy it a lot more than when she did things like this months ago.

"What can I say Ultear, I enjoy our time alone since that is such a rare thing." stated Natsu.

"Isn't that the understatement of the year." said Ultear right before someone called out for Natsu.

"Yes Kinana?" asked Natsu as he turned to the barmaid.

"Apparently you have a visitor and he said that you two were friends that have been working together for a while now." replied Kinana as she got closer to the group.

"Did he give you a name?" asked Natsu.

"He said that his name was Cid." answered Kinana as everyone witnessed the excitement sparkle in Natsu's eyes.

"Did Cid bring something with him?" asked Natsu as he could barely contain his excitement.

"Yea it was wrapped in cloth so I have no idea what it is but it's fairly big." responded Kinana with a smile since Natsu was getting so excited.

"Is there any other reason for me to stay here Master Macao?" asked Natsu hoping that there wasn't.

"Is there?" asked Macao as he looked at the other guild Masters as all of them were shaking their heads no.

"Well you are free to go and see your friend Natsu." said Macao with a big smile.

"Alright, let's go Ultear!" cheered Natsu as he quickly grabbed Ultear's legs, causing her to let out a girly squeak, and Natsu carrying her on his back as he then booked it through the guild towards Cid since he was really easy to smell now that Natsu was actually paying attention to his nose.

"It's good to still see him full of joy." said Jura with a smile.

"I have to agree with you on that one Jura, because the Natsu that I was talking with today seemed nothing like the one that my mages talked about after taking down Oracion Seis." stated Bob now smiling as well.

"You can't really blame him after everything that he's went through in the past year." said Goldmine with a little grin.

"Especially after all of his close friends dying on Tenrou Island." said Ooba with a frown.

"They aren't dead Master Ooba, Natsu was there and he would never lie to the guild about something like that." stated Macao as he glared at the older guild Master.

"We know that you all want to believe in him about this Master Macao but sooner or later you're going to have to come to terms with it." said Ooba who felt sorry that such a thing happened to a guild like Fairy Tail where they have closer bonds then most guilds.

"Fairy Tail will believe in Natsu and what he saw for as long as he does even if it takes them fifteen years to make it back to us. Because we are a family and we will never give up on them." stated Macao with so much conviction that the other Masters were impressed by it.

"I am with you on that one Master Macao and my guild and I are willing to help you in any way that we can. Because Master Makarov was a really dear friend of mine and a great mage along with the rest of them." stated Bob with a big smile.

"Thanks Master Bob, but we have to wait for that Island to reappear before we can really do anything else about trying to find them." stated Macao with a frown.

"If that is the case Master Macao then Blue Pegasus will monitor it for you and tell you if there are any changes to that area." stated Bob glad that he could help.

"Thanks Master Bob all of Fairy Tail will really appreciate it, some more than others." said Macao as he spotted pink hair in the crowded guild.

"Makarov would be really proud of what you've been able to do Master Macao." said Goldmine who was impressed that Fairy Tail didn't shut down after losing all of their strongest mages except for Natsu.

"Thanks Master Goldmine but most of this was all thanks to Natsu, he was somehow able to keep all of us motivated to keep the guild going when everyone else wanted to give up. I can finally see why Master Makarov always said that there was something special about him. I at first thought he was talking about his magic and fighting abilities, but now I can see that Master Makarov knew that he could inspire people to keep trying when they would usually give up. Not to mention how kind he is and his willingness to forgive those that have done terrible things in their past and still able to see the good in them that others would have missed." stated Macao.

"I assume those last ones are dealing with Cobra and Ultear?" asked Ooba.

"Yeah I guess, but he overall just cares about everyone else more than himself. Which is why he's always been willing to go out there and deal with these drakes that have already come close a few times to being the end of him." replied Macao.

"Makarov always was good at finding exceptional mages when they were young. And it would appear that Natsu might have been his best find to date." said Bob with a fond smile.

"I will have to agree with you on that one, and you are all free to make yourselves at home but I have to go and help out my guild." said Macao as he went to the bar to help Kinana and the other barmaids out.

"Fairy Tail is one of the strangest guilds I have ever seen and had the pleasure of working with." said Jura with a smile as the rest nodded their heads in agreement with smiles of their own.

 **With Natsu and Ultear:**

"Natsu put me down this instant." said Ultear trying to sound angry at him but failing horribly.

"Sorry Ultear but we're almost there so just hold on." said Natsu as he jumped over a table that was occupied with guests that were surprised to see someone flying over them as all of the Fairy Tail members acted as if it was normal thing.

"Natsu I mean it, put me down!" demanded Ultear as Natsu instantly set her down.

"Well it's good that I found Cid then Ultear, but you know that you enjoyed it." replied Natsu while giving her a smirk.

"Oh yeah Natsu I love you carrying me on your back while wearing a kimono, possibly showing our guest things they should never be seeing." hissed Ultear as she straightened her kimono and made sure she was presentable.

"What I am hearing is that you did enjoy it but would have preferred it even more if you were wearing more appropriate clothing. Also you have never minded me seeing you at all, in fact I am positive that you have staged it so I would walk in on you while you were changing." said Natsu which caused Ultear to start hitting him repeatedly as Natsu couldn't help himself from chuckling.

"That is totally not true Natsu, and don't say such things so loudly about me what will they think? And you're different than everyone else so I don't care if you see me like that, but that only applies to you Natsu." said Ultear while still hitting him over and over again.

"Sorry Ultear, it'll never happen again. How about we go out to eat somewhere just the two of us as so you know how sorry I truly am about all of this?" asked Natsu as Ultear finally stopped hitting him.

"Are you serious Natsu?" asked Ultear with a big smile.

"Absolutely Ultear, since we rarely get any time with just the two of us. And didn't I tell you that I was going to try and make sure that we get more of just us together?" asked Natsu who was now being hugged by Ultear.

"You did but I didn't know if you were only saying that because of Alzack and Bisca getting married that day." stated Ultear who really couldn't be happier than she was right now. Well that isn't exactly true but she was getting to that point slowly and it was now only a matter of time.

"Come on Ultear, you know that I will always try and do whatever I promise you." said Natsu as he lifted her head by her chin so that they were looking into each other's eyes.

"Oh I am counting on it." replied Ultear with a smirk that she lost when Cid cleared his throat to get their attention.

"Sorry for ruining the moment between you two but I only came by to give you this Natsu and say congratulations on the restaurant and keeping the Fantasia parade going." said Cid with a big smile.

"Thanks Cid and I can't believe that you were able to finish it without me." said Natsu with a big smile.

"It wasn't easy Natsu, but since we already got it into a solid form of metal together I was able to do the rest. Granted I had to heat it to temperatures that would have melted every other metal out there in the world, just to do the simplest things to it. But she is going to be one of my proudest achievements until I get those other ones done for you that is." explained Cid as he handed Natsu a weird leather harness that Natsu had no idea what it was.

"What am I supposed to do with this Cid?" asked Natsu as he held it by one of the leather straps between his fingers.

"Natsu you slip your arms through the two loops so that the piece of metal is on your back allowing you to latch it together on the front for extra sturdiness." answered Cid as Natsu followed his instructions after taking off his vest. Of course Ultear and a few other women didn't mind seeing this at all if you looked at their faces while Natsu was doing this.

"Okay Cid but I still don't see how this is related to what we working on?" asked Natsu as he left his vest off and waited for Cid to continue his explanation.

"That is how you are going to carry her Natsu, because she's a little too big to have a sheath if you want to have her on your back like we talked about." replied Cid with a big smile.

"Natsu what is he talking about?" asked Ultear as she glared at Natsu and was ready to start actually attacking him.

"Calm down Ultear, Cid thinks of all of his weapons as girls for some reason which is what he was talking about." stated Natsu as he rolled his eyes at how that almost got really ugly for him.

"That's because they are just like women Natsu, beautiful but extremely deadly." said Cid as he smiled at Ultear who thought that he was right about that, especially in her case.

"I guess I can see that." said Natsu as he thought about all the times that he got beaten up by Mira, Erza and even Ultear.

"Well here you go Natsu, she's a bit bigger than your average claymore like you wanted. And I would have never made her this big if I didn't know that you will actually be able to easily swing her about like a normal claymore." said Cid as he unwrapped the sword that he had been carrying this whole time as if it was his precious child.

It was just like your standard claymore except for its blade being twice as wide as the standard one with a red core going almost all the way to the end of the steel blade. Its cross hilt was forward slopping like most claymores but in the center of it was the emblem that Natsu had on the inside of his book about draconic creatures. The grip of the sword was plain black leather that looked sturdy, and the pommel had the Fairy Tail emblem at the center of it.

"Wow she looks better than I could have hoped for." said Natsu as he grabbed the handle and was shocked with how light it actually was considering how heavy it looked.

"You're surprised by the weight aren't you Natsu?" asked Cid with a big grin.

"Yes I am Cid because this feels exactly like a normal claymore when it should be twice that." stated Natsu as he was getting used to the feel of the swords weight and balance.

"That's because of the drake claws weighing less than normal steel, which she barely has any of since she is mainly composed of the claws." explained Cid with a proud grin on his face as he watched Natsu twirl the sword after everyone cleared away from him.

"She truly is a beauty Cid and now I have to see if she'll preform like we are hoping she will." said Natsu while still swinging the sword around.

"I would love to guarantee that Natsu but I have never done a sword like her before, now why don't you put her on your back. Natsu just trust me on this, it'll be fine and you know that I would never let one of my babies be harmed senselessly." said Cid as he saw Natsu give him a look like he was crazy for telling him to put it on his back.

"Holy crap it actually works." said Natsu as the sword remained on his back right where he wanted it to be.

"Yes it did Natsu and I could give you a rundown of how I was able to make it work but I know that you really wouldn't care that much. And I also have some other work to get done before the big Fantasia Parade, oh and it will even work if you put your vest over top of the harness." said Cid as he was about to leave.

"Cid thanks for doing all of this for me." said Natsu as he shook the man's hand.

"I was happy to Natsu because now I am the only blacksmith that can say he made a sword for the Salamander the slayer of drakes. Oh and you should give her a name since all good weapons have them, and I'll be ready to get to work on our next project whenever you're ready Natsu." said Cid as he gave a quick wave goodbye and headed towards the exit.

"I will see you then Cid." said Natsu with a smile as he took of his new sword so he could put on his vest and make sure that Cid was correct like he knew it would be.

"Wow Natsu that is quite the sword he made for you." said Kagura as she and Kei eyed it since they were two of the best swordsman in the guild.

"It's what Cid and I have been working on for the past few months." said Natsu as he put the sword on his back as a grin formed when it stayed there just like last time.

"So when are we going to see the fruits of your and Bianca's labor?" asked Meredy as she joined their group meaning that Natsu's usual group were now all together. Well one of his groups since the other one was the dragon slayers that Natsu spent most of his time with when not with these women.

"At least another month Meredy if not more because she's trying to make them feel like actual cloth while still retaining their protective qualities which is extremely hard as you could probably imagine." answered Natsu as he realized that he had finished his cigar a while ago and needed to get a new one later and should probably start putting some into his pocket dimension so he can get them whenever he gets hungry or just simply wants one.

"What's with the red core in the middle of the blade Natsu?" asked Kei who couldn't help but admire his new sword.

"Oh that's because of Zechum's claws being red." explained Natsu.

"Then why isn't the whole blade red then?" asked Kagura who was also curious about the sword.

"I honestly couldn't tell you, Cid said it was probably something about the magic pooling to the center. Or maybe it was something about turning the claws into metal that caused it to do that. It could also be just a weird mistake that won't happen in the next weapon that me and Cid make." answered Natsu as he noticed a lot of people looking at his group.

"What is the next weapon that you and Cid are making together?" asked Kei excitedly and wishing that she could have one. But then realized that she already made her own that were better than most swords out there.

"Another sword but a katana this time, and if that works then we'll probably make a few weapons for the guild. But I think we need to go back to taking care of your guests." stated Natsu as he left the group and started to talk to a group of women that had been watching them for a while now. Of course Ultear just so happened to join Natsu on helping take care of these women while making sure they all knew what was up.

So for the remainder of the day Fairy Tail continued to entertain their guests and have fun like they usually did when they weren't training, all the way up until they had to get ready for the parade. That was when they asked their visitors to politely leave as the changed into their costumes and got into their groups and did any final preparations for their floats.

And just like Fairy Tail was known to do they went all out with very elaborate floats that sometimes didn't even make much sense at all. But that didn't stop Fairy Tail or the rest of Magnolia and the other people gathered from enjoying it. One such float wasn't even a float at all which was actually the first one, and you would more accurately call it a race between Jet and Krish that followed the complete route of the float. And the first one to run back and forth putting up flags of Fairy Tail the whole length of the route would be declared the winner as long as they only did them one at a time. Meaning that the two mages would be running the two mile stretch at least ten times with where the piles of flags were stored.

There were of course the standard floats that had a few of the women clothed in revealing outfits while they performed their dance routines. And a few others that had some of the lesser known members showing off their magic by preforming little tricks that usually amazed the younger viewers of the parade. These same viewers were huge fans of the floats that were giving out free things like Fairy Tail T-shirts or even the ones that just gave out candy.

Laki and Reedus had one of the crowd's favorite since they would randomly choose someone from the crowd to become the center of attention. And how they did this was Laki would quickly make a half scale replica of the person or whatever they chose to make, using her maker magic to duplicate them. And Reedus would finish it off by painting it so well that it looked almost as if it was just a mini version of the person that they chose from the crowd who could then have it if they chose to. Otherwise it was tossed into the crowd so they could figure out who wanted it.

Another one that everyone seemed to enjoy was the sparing that Kagura and Kei did with each other. It had a tally of who was winning their matches, and all that they had to do to win was be the first one to land a hit with their sword. Of course this was another thing that people could bet on and it was so close that no one could tell who was going to be the final winner at the end of the parade.

Ultear and Meredy's float show cased Ultear's magic off quite nicely since Meredy with the help of some other members would destroy the little building in the middle of their float with various different methods. Such as burning it, blasting it with all of their magic or what the guys of the group really liked doing was just smashing through it or throwing someone through the little building. But without fail Ultear would restore it back to pristine condition as if nothing happened to it moments earlier.

And towards the end of the floats was Natsu's and seeing him on a moving thing without instantly getting sick amazed the crowd by itself since it was pretty much common knowledge at least in Magnolia that Natsu couldn't use transportation without becoming violently ill. But there he was on a black float spewing smoke and fire into the air that would usually take the form of whatever he thought would look cool in the air. This was usually a Fairy Tail emblem or a dragon and if he didn't to that Natsu would shoot off his own form of fireworks that everyone seemed to really enjoy.

Everything was going great until Natsu heard a faint roar in the distance, and hoped that he was just hearing things. So he stopped shooting off his fireworks and focused on listening for the roar again which came moments later making Natsu start cursing to himself at his terrible luck just as Doranbolt appeared in front of him.

"Natsu there's another drake and…" said Doranbolt a little out of breath.

"And it's on its way here. I know I just heard the roar in the distance." said Natsu in a disgusted tone.

"Then why aren't you getting ready?" asked Doranbolt incredulously.

"Because you showed up right when I was about to, but that means you can go and take the Mayor to his office to sound the alarms. While I let the rest of Fairy Tail know what's going on." said Natsu as another roar could be heard but this time everyone else heard it too. Which actually stopped the parade in its tracks with everyone wondering if that was Natsu showing off.

"Natsu was that you?" asked Jet with Krish on the other side of the float wondering the same thing.

"I really wish it was you two, so I take it that you both know what I want you to do right now." replied Natsu as he did a few quick stretches.

"Inform the rest of Fairy Tail while handing out those maps you brought to the guild this morning?" asked Krish.

"That would be exactly what I want both of you to do, and then start leading people to the bunkers." said Natsu as he could hear the crowd wondering what was going on as another roar was heard but this time it was louder than before.

"Natsu don't tell me that is what I think it is?" asked Ultear as she jumped up onto the float with him as the other two mages disappeared to go and get to work.

"Sorry Ultear, but it looks like we might have to reschedule that getting something to eat together since something came up." said Natsu as he did a few stretches.

"That's fine Natsu, just make sure you come back all in one piece you hear me?" asked Ultear as she gave him a hug hoping that it wouldn't be there last.

"I will Ultear." replied Natsu as Ultear was separating from him but shocked her by pulling her back and capturing her lips with his. Ultear was completely thrown off by this but instantly deepened the kiss that she had wanted to receive from Natsu since she pretty much joined Fairy Tail.

"Make sure that you get everyone into the bunkers and try and find Sting and Rogue before one of them does something stupid." said Natsu after they separated and he hopped off of the float as another roar was heard. Ultear was still too shocked to answer him so she nodded her head causing Natsu to chuckle before he tilted his head back and let off his challenging roar that caused all those around him to cover their ears.

As soon as Natsu's died down another roar could be heard challenging him right back. A grin made its way across Natsu's face as he then shot into the air thanks to his fire while saying. "Just another day in the life of the famous Salamander, can't even take part in a parade without a drake ruining it."

The crowd was really confused by all of this until the announcement speakers turned on.

"Hello citizens of Magnolia and visitors this is the Mayor speaking and I have to inform you that a drake is headed this way. But you have nothing to fear because we are prepared for this thanks to the Salamander and Fairy Tail. Please follow the Fairy Tail mages as they lead you to the underground bunkers designed just for this sort of occasion while Salamander handles the drake. But remember that the most important thing is that you remain calm because Salamander has already dealt with eight drakes so this will be no different." said the Mayor.

"Your Mayor is correct, and you all need to remain calm and follow a member of Fairy Tail to a bunker. If you are unfortunately not watching the parade right now then please in an orderly fashion make your way to one of these locations that is nearest to you." said Doranbolt in a very calm manner as he then read of the list of where the bunkers where located.

"This is a joke right?" asked a random citizen as a whole bunch started to agree with him until they heard another roar and all looked into the sky to see a flaming ball heading towards a yellow drake hovering in the sky just outside of town. This of course caused some of the crowd to start panicking which would spread fast if they don't put a stop to it, and luckily for the citizens of Magnolia Fairy Tail was there to do just that.

But since this was Fairy Tail, they of course went a little overboard on how they dealt with the people freaking out. And that method was the mages of Fairy Tail knocking them out swiftly and handing them to another citizen telling them that they were supposed to carry them to the bunker as the member would either lead a group to a bunker or go and maintain order with an iron fist.

This of course resulted in a lot of citizens being brutally taken out but order was maintained. With most of the citizens of Magnolia wondering what in the world happened to the guild that was just moments ago partying and having fun with them. Now the members of Fairy Tail all had serious faces and wouldn't tolerate anyone getting out of order and this even included some of the younger mages of Fairy Tail.

So for the next half hour the citizens of Magnolia along with all the tourists crammed themselves into the bunkers with the mages of Fairy Tail being the last ones in and closed the doors wondering what the future would bring. And it would appear that they got into the bunkers just in the nick of time as the occasional bunker could feel the ground shaking and hear the faint sounds of the battling raging above them. This continued on for the next hour when it finally quieted down for a little while until another roar could be clearly heard in every bunker signifying that someone was the victor of the intense battle that just took place.

All of the civilians were now wondering if the Salamander was able to take on that beast by himself. While the mages of Fairy Tail were thinking along the same lines, but they knew that Natsu could do it again especially since it was Magnolia on the line this time. And he had Cobra with him this time as well if it did get bad making all of them pretty confident that he was going to be the victor again, all they had to do was wait for him to open the doors and let them back out. They all waited for another hour in complete silence dreading to break it and wondering if they were going to spend the entire night in the bunkers meaning that the Salamander had finally fallen. But the speaker in the bunkers turned on as a voice came out of them.

"Sorry everyone but it was really hard to find this system when the city hall is nothing more than a pile of rubble now. So if you couldn't tell by me making this announcement it is now safe to come out of the bunkers which I would like to think were a complete success. Oh and sorry about the town that drake didn't care that people lived here at all." said Natsu over the speaker system as people instantly started to cheer after they heard his voice. But then they realized that it was going to probably be pretty bad when they got up there if Natsu was actually apologizing for it.

Five of the buildings that had the bunkers underneath them were completely leveled and needed the help from the bunkers to get out of them and look at what happened to their city. The only part of Magnolia that got damaged was the southern part where the drake came from. And it looked like a complete warzone with a lot of the buildings obliterated and leaving nothing left of what used to stand there for more than a ten block radius that happened to include city hall.

As a good portion of Magnolia surveyed the damage they couldn't believe the destruction that was caused by Natsu and a drake fighting each other. Because this made all of the other things that Fairy Tail had done in the past look like a joke when compared to this and right at the front stairs of city hall was the drakes body slowly burning with Natsu Dragneel standing in front of it covered in blood like he always was when going about the process of disposing of the drake's body.

And to the side of him stood Cobra who not many people knew, and those that did couldn't help but notice his face that looked like it was locked into a shocked slash terrified state. And on the other side of Natsu was Doranbolt who was no longer that shocked with seeing Natsu covered in gore after watching him deal with seven other drakes before this one. All of Magnolia didn't even know what to say or do when they came upon this scene so most just stood there and quietly waited for something to happen.

"Natsu are you alright?" asked Ultear as she came running up to him.

"I am fine Ultear, but that is mainly thanks to Cid giving me Dragon's Remorse today." said Natsu as he tapped the handle of his sword on his back.

"He gave you what?" asked Meredy as she came up to the group.

"Oh that's just what I decided to name my new sword, what do you think?" asked Natsu with a small grin.

"I think it fits it quite nicely since you really don't want to kill them Natsu." said Meredy as the crowd started to mumble to one another about what just happened. And thanks to Natsu's good ears he could hear that a lot of them were starting to blame Fairy Tail and more specifically him for all of this.

Which was soon made know to everyone there as someone shouted that it was all his fault. This of course caused others to join in and in a matter of seconds there was a little mob formed that was blaming Natsu for all of this saying that the drake only came here because of him and that he should leave town before he brought more of them. They even said that this was actually all a ploy by Fairy Tail to try and stay relevant after losing the Tenrou group, which instantly got all of Fairy Tail up at arms ready to give those citizens a piece of the minds. Tht is until a loud voice caused everyone to quiet down, to listen to the owner of the voice who just so happened to be Natsu who looked pissed.

"Quiet!" shouted Natsu.

"Fairy Tail you will not harm any of them or you'll have to deal with me." state Natsu as he glared at his members.

"That's right; Fairy Tail is just as bad as him. I mean look at how they handled the situation of getting us into those bunkers. They knocked me out as if I was a common thug." shouted someone from the mob instantly getting cheers of agreement.

"Shut the hell up before I make you, you fucking dumbass!" shouted Natsu as his magic flared up.

"Do you want to know why they knocked you out? They did that because you my friend are nothing more than a coward that was panicking like a little girl when the announcement went off, actually that is an insult to little girls because none of them started to freak out like you or anyone else that my guild members knocked out. And is that how you show your gratitude to those that risked their own lives to save you, you ungrateful bastard?" asked Natsu clearly upset with the man that he was now walking towards, who was now all alone and too afraid to run form Natsu or say anything.

"I will admit that knocking your sorry ass out was going a little too far, but it was either that or let the rest of the citizens of Magnolia start panicking. Which would have guaranteed costed the lives of some of the citizens, so I will not let you speak ill of the people that saved not only your ungrateful life but that of the rest of the city. You can hate me all you want for destroying a good portion of the town but I will not ever let you look down on Fairy Tail who thanks to them not a single life was lost here today." stated Natsu as he was now face to face with the man.

"I can't stand to see your face anymore so I am out of here before you cause me to do something that will only end with you in the hospital." said Natsu as he then walked off with everyone getting out of his way. Everyone was giving him at least a five foot radius of space between him and any other person as he made his way through the crowd and heading towards his home.

"What place did you own mister?" asked Ultear as she glared at him causing him to instantly shout out the address of it while pointing to where it used to be located at.

"This place?" asked Ultear still giving the man a glare that could almost kill a person as the man nodded. Then Ultear turned to it and casted **RESTORE** on the location and all of Magnolia watched as it returned to how it used to be before the attack and they were about to rejoice when it all of a sudden started to look dilapidated and rundown finally going back to ruins like the rest of the area.

"I would have been more than happy to do what I first showed you, but after what you just said and did to the man that is responsible for all of Magnolia not being reduced to smoldering ruins. I along with the rest of Fairy Tail will never again help your ungrateful ass, but we are more than happy to help those that can appreciate what Natsu did for all of you." declared Ultear as the rest of Fairy Tail nodded their heads in agreement.

"If you hadn't run Natsu off I probably would have gotten most of the town back to how it was before all of this. But instead I am only going to fix the hotel so you all still have a place to stay tonight expect for you, otherwise I won't lift a finger tomorrow or any day after." said Ultear as she pointed at the man still all alone and had angered Natsu to the point that he stormed off.

Ultear then made her way to where the Hotel was and once again amazed all of those watching as it reformed into the hotel that was standing there two hours ago. Ultear then made her way over to the Mayor who was now in front of the crowd of civilians.

"Hey Mayor you might want to let everyone know that if it wasn't for Natsu there would have only been one bunker finished by today." stated Ultear as she then headed into the crowd that did the same thing for her as they did for Natsu.

"Alright Fairy Tail let's head home." declare Macao with a smug grin as he and the rest of Fairy Tail made their way through the crowd and headed towards their guild on the other side of town.

"Mayor what did she mean by that?" asked one of his assistants.

"Well to put it simply all of those bunkers that we used today were built and owned by Natsu Dragneel, also known as the Salamander who just took out that drake for us." stated the Mayor as he pointed to the corpse that was still burning in front of where the city hall used to be.

"And he did all of that because he said that the city was taking too long and didn't want to see any of us die, so he paid for all of it so that it would be done just a few days ago. And it would appear that he was right about me taking too long on their constructions since if he didn't do that then only the one under his restaurant would have been done." said the Mayor knowing that he might as well tell them everything since it wasn't really a secret.

"And the thanks Natsu gets for killing the drake and saving all of Magnolia is a bunch of idiots upset that they lost their homes. When if it wasn't for him they would have most likely lost their lives as well, I sure hope that Natsu doesn't decide to move somewhere else after being treated like that. Because he did tell me that there was a chance that even the bunkers wouldn't be enough to stop the drakes if he couldn't stop them." said the Mayor as he then strolled into the hotel with a smug grin on his face.

 **End of Chapter**

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Thanks for reading as always and I hope that you enjoyed it also. So first off I was going to do the fight with the drake but that would have made it a lot longer than it already was so I decided that I am going to put it into the next chapter. Also I thought that of course not everyone would see Natsu as a hero if he destroyed a good portion of the town while not knowing that he was responsible for the bunkers that saved their lives. So as always feel free to leave me a review and I will try and get back to you as soon as possible.**

 **Until the next Chapter**

 **Digem Out!**


	13. Masters Meeting

Ch 13: Masters Meeting

As Natsu leveled out in the sky he couldn't help but marvel at the drake in front of him that hovered there with a grin on its face. This one was definitely full grown, most of the drakes that he had battled and followed the same color scheme that seemed common for drakes. And this one was mainly yellow with the accent being white, which stood out against the yellow which reminded Natsu of Laxus for some reason. Maybe because he could now feel that there was more electricity in the air than there usually would be.

"So drake why have you come here?" asked Natsu knowing that he needed to distract the drake as long as possible before he started to battle it.

"And why would I tell you that Slayer?" the drake asked back as it intently studied Natsu.

"Because I would like to solve this without fighting if that is possible." said Natsu and could actually see that the drake was shocked by this.

"That is not what I was expecting Slayer, especially if you are the reason that none of the other drakes have returned." stated the drake as it started to lick the air.

"I am, but I offered the same deal to all of them but one who deserved exactly what he got. They were all foolish to not accept this offer so we settled it your way which as you can see ended with me the victor." stated Natsu as he watched the drake ready for any trick it might try to pull.

"I can taste their blood in the air meaning that you speak the truth Slayer. But what is this other thing that I am tasting?" asked the drake obviously intrigued by Natsu.

"Oh that is most likely Acnologia's blood that got on me during our battle. I am surprised that you're able to still smell and taste it because that was almost a year ago." answered Natsu with a confident smirk on his face waiting to see the look of terror come to the drake's face.

"Interesting Slayer, most dragons couldn't fight that monster without at least losing a limb or their life. But here you are completely intact, which is quite impressive slayer. So who is the dragon that raised you to fight that monster and live to tell the tail?" asked the drake not looking afraid of him like any of the other drakes that figured this out.

"The Fire Dragon King Igneel." stated Natsu proudly.

"I figured it would be him since your flames give off the same power that made him undisputed King of all fire dragons and most of the fire drakes." said the drake while nodding its head in agreement.

"If Igneel was the King of the fire drakes as well then why have the two that I met so far only wanted to kill me?" asked Natsu with a slightly confused look on his face, but still maintained a fighting stance which was hard to do when you are floating in the air.

"Numerous reasons slayer, the most likely one was them probably still feeling betrayed by Igneel when he decided to help the humans rather than wiping them off the face of this world. And seeing you as his son and only heir could be seen as another act of betrayal that once again reminded them of the first one. Another possibility Slayer would be that they wanted to see if you truly are his son which I can already tell is true by the power emanating from you." explained the drake with a sinister grin on its features.

"Thanks drake, and I can understand the first two reasons but when do you think they'll stop fighting me for the second reason?" asked Natsu hoping that the drake would still be up for talking with him. Because the grin that it now had was a little unsettling for Natsu and knew it would only mean death and destruction if he didn't do something to distract the drake.

"Probably after you kill at least eight more of them Slayer, after which it would take another ten or one of their strongest drakes dying at your hands for them to finally recognize you as the son of Igneel their King. Now I want you to answer my question Slayer, what did this one drake do that made you kill it without offering to settle things peacefully?" asked the drake still sporting that grin.

"It went on a senseless killing spree in a town which is why I didn't even bother to learn its name before I end its life." said Natsu with a pissed off expression now on his face.

"Oh like I plan to do to this town you are trying to protect Slayer." said the drake clearly enjoying itself.

"I will not let that happen." declared Natsu in a growl.

"We'll see about that Slayer." replied the drake as it was about to dive into the town and have some fun.

"Wait drake I have a proposition for you that you might like." shouted Natsu as he started to panic that the drake might not be interested.

"Oh and what would that be Slayer?" asked the drake who had never done anything like this with a human before, much less a dragon slayer which it knew was a very rare thing to run into.

"Well I predicted that sooner or later a drake would come here so I did some things that would hopefully prevent you from killing anyone in this town." stated Natsu glad that the drake was interested.

"Like what Slayer?" asked the drake trying to figure out what the slayer could have possibly done.

"Well first off I have another dragon slayer down there that is ready to help me take care of you if this happens to go that way. The other thing is that I set up places for the humans down there to hide that you won't be able to find them once they've all gotten into them." answered Natsu.

"That wasn't very smart of you Slayer because what is preventing me from going down there right now since I can still see those insects scurrying around scared for their lives like they should be?" asked the drake ready to swoop down if Natsu didn't have a good response.

"Because if you wait for them to all be out of your eyesight my other dragon slayer friend won't help me at all when we have the battle that I can only assume you still want to have." replied Natsu with a grin.

"That is an interesting deal Slayer which really takes away your advantage in this situation. So how would I know that you won't go back on your word if I agreed to this, and why would you even offer this to me?" asked the drake who was really enjoying Natsu and wondered if all humans were like him or just other slayers. Or was he just one of the few humans out there that is truly extraordinary?

"I am a man of my word unlike you drakes, or at least a few that I have had the pleasure of fighting. And as to why I would give you that offer I am confident that I can hold my own against you, while also curious if you'll be able to find any of the humans once they are hidden." explained Natsu with a grin.

"Gambling with the lives of this town Slayer, I really think I might have taken a liking to you." stated the drake as it chuckled.

"Better to make this gamble than let you definitely kill hundreds of them." responded Natsu.

"Very true Slayer, but that makes me have to ask the question of why you even care about them and are willing to risk your life to try and save them?" asked the drake.

"Because my family is down there and all life is precious and shouldn't be wasted for no good reason." answered Natsu.

"Well Slayer you are very interesting and I have enjoyed our conversation. And now I too am interested if you are able to hide them from me, so I will agree to this little deal of yours." said the drake with a slight grin.

"Thanks drake and it should only be a few more minutes." replied Natsu with his own grin.

"Good to hear Slayer so what is your name?" asked the drake knowing that this was going to be a good fight.

"It's Natsu Dragneel and you already know my dad." said Natsu.

"Well Dragneel my name is Soreth and it is an honor to fight the prince of the fire dragons." replied the drake who then took a quick look down and could barely see any more humans.

"The honor is all mine Soreth and do you happen to be a lightning drake?" asked Nasu surprising Soreth that he figured that out before they even started to fight.

"Yes I am Dragneel, but how in the world did you figure that out?" asked Soreth seeing that the town was really close to being completely empty.

"You have the same atmosphere as one of my other friends that happens to be a lightning dragon slayer." answered Natsu with a grin as a look of shock came over Soreth's face.

"Oh don't worry Soreth he isn't around right now so don't start freaking out just yet." taunted Natsu which happened to not be the best idea. Since the next thing he knew Soreth was behind him and bringing his tail down on Natsu hard. Luckily Natsu was able to block it with his arms preventing it from being a blow to his head as he was launched to the ground making a crater as he landed on his back.

"That's great news Dragneel and you really shouldn't have told me that since it means I can now go full out without being afraid of charging him up." shouted Soreth from the sky as lightning started to dance around him.

"Shit this is not going to be good." coughed Natsu as he got up while looking at Soreth in the sky.

" **THUNDER STRIKE!** " boomed Soreth as he plummeted to the ground like a meteor right at Natsu. Causing the ground to shudder at the sheer force of his impact that caused the surrounding houses to explode or crumble as lightning rained down from the sky.

"Where are you Dragneel, we both know that you would still be standing from that even if it was a direct hit?" asked Soreth as he destroyed a few buildings with his tails and claws as if it was nothing.

"I should have guessed that you wouldn't have fallen for such a simple trick Soreth." said Natsu as he stepped out from behind a chimney with a smirk.

"That you should have Dragneel, but I am surprised to see that you weren't hurt at all." stated Soreth as he looked at the completely fine dragon slayer before him.

"Salamander I got here as fast as I could." said Cobra as he jumped up onto the roof with Natsu.

"It's fine Cobra because this is between just me and Soreth." replied Natsu.

"What the hell are you talking about Salamander, this is the only reason that I am a member of your stupid guild." shouted Cobra.

"COBRA! I already told you that this is just between me and Soreth. And you are actually only with us so if there happens to be multiple drakes they don't swarm me or if I do die you'll be able to finish off what I couldn't." stated Natsu in a deep voice that reminded Cobra of their last fight.

"Yes Salamander, but can I ask you why?" asked Cobra who really wanted to fight this drake and prove to Natsu that he still had his fangs.

"It was the only way I could prevent Soreth from coming down here earlier. That along with claiming to be able to hide all of the citizens from him, which it would appear that I have done since he hasn't started to kill them." said Natsu as he grinned at Soreth.

"Well it's obvious who's the Alpha, which is not surprising considering who Dragneel's dad is. And Dragneel I was being an honorable opponent and waiting to see if you would keep your end of the deal, which I am honestly surprised to see that you did." said Soreth with a big grin.

"I did tell you that I am a man of my word Soreth." stated Natsu.

"That you are Dragneel, when you probably shouldn't be since I am now going to enjoy destroying this town!" shouted Soreth as he clawed into a building expecting to hear terrified screams and the smell of fresh blood. But he was shocked when he got none of that after smelling the scents of hundreds of humans all going into this building.

" **FIRE DRAGON'S PIERCING TALON!** " shouted Natsu as he monopolized on Soreth's confusion and landed a kick to the base of the right wing. Hoping to cut it off completely which unfortunately didn't happen, but Natsu could tell that it was enough to ground Soreth going off the roar of pain that the drake gave off during the attack.

"You little bastard I'll make you pay for that!" shouted Soreth after trying to decapitate Natsu with his claws that Natsu dodged by rolling backwards.

"Sorry Soreth but I learned from all of the other drakes that I have fought that there is no such thing as an honorable fight when you are fighting to the death which is how you drakes always seem to want to do these battles." said Natsu as he dodged a few more attacks of Soreth.

"That is very true Dragneel which is why I am going to end this right now and get back to killing all of the humans that you were trying to protect. **ROLLING THUNDER!** " shouted Soreth as he discharged a roar into the sky which Natsu and Cobra didn't see coming. But they both realized why Soreth did that as a huge thunderstorm formed over them and started to rain down lighting and actual rain.

"Shit this just got more difficult." said Natsu as he rolled out of the way of a lightning strike.

"You have no idea Dragneel how correct you are." said Soreth as he hit Natsu in the back with his tail launching him through a building.

"Now let's see where you little rodents are all trying to hid." said Soreth as he came to the next building and destroyed it getting the same results which infuriated Soreth to no end. As he then made his way to the next one and once again got the same results this caused him to let out a roar of lightning in frustration that obliterated everything in its path.

" **FIRE DRAGON'S METEOR STRIKE!** " could be heard coming from the skies causing Soreth to look up just in time to see a flaming ball of fire plummeting towards him that he wasn't ready for. This resulted in Soreth feeling immense pain shoot through his back and actually bring him to the ground because of the pain Natsu inflicted on him by dropping onto him like a meteor. Just like the spell was named after since it appeared to almost have the same results.

 **"FIRE DRAGON'S PIERCING CLAWS!"** shouted Natsu as he seized this opportunity to inflict as much damage on Soreth as possible. Going for anything that Soreth didn't have guarded which was everything right now, but that quickly changed as Soreth regained his composure.

Cobra who was watching all of this couldn't believe that one of the two monsters battling it out right in front of him was actually Natsu. The same punk who more than a year ago only beat him by sheer luck, but now watching him Cobra could see that luck had nothing to do with his most recent defeat to this man. What Cobra was now witnessing was a mage who was actually putting it all on the line knowing that he might die any second. This was something that Cobra had actually seen tons of time before, but what made Natsu different was that it seemed like this was an everyday thing for the mage. Who also looked like he was enjoying every minute of this life and death situation that he was in, determined to come out on top after everything was all said and done. This is what made Cobra realize that right then and there that he would probably never surpass Natsu, because he knew that he could never fight that way even if he wanted to, which meant that Natsu would always have the advantage on him in any fights that they might have in the future.

"DRAGNEEL, **LIGHTNING OVERLOAD!** " bellowed Soreth as Natsu was about to land a strike on the drakes hindquarters. To only be blasted away by lightning striking Soreth that then shot off of him in every direction landing a good hit on Natsu who didn't see that move coming. It launched him into another building where he disappeared from sight.

"I'm not letting you get away this time Dragneel!" shouted Soreth as he smashed into the building and started to tear it apart and the rest of the buildings that Natsu was going through in the attempt to get some distance from Soreth.

"Fight me like a real dragon Dragneel!" bellowed Soreth as he ripped the roof off of a house while shouting into the skies.

" **FIRE DRAGON'S SWORD HORN!** " shouted Natsu as he head butted Soreth right in the chest and launching him into city hall.

"That is exactly what I am doing Soreth!" shouted Natsu as he landed on the ground a few feet away from Soreth.

"How the hell do you not have more damage than that Dragneel?" asked Soreth as he looked over Natsu who had most of his clothes torn off except for his scarf and pants. And only had a few minor cuts littered across his body along with a few singe marks from being hit by lightning a few times. But otherwise didn't have anything fatal and crippling like he definitely should have after some of the attacks that he landed on said dragon slayer.

"You can thank Cid and those two smoke drakes Razeth and Nazeth for me not being dead yet." said Natsu with a smug grin.

"How so Dragneel?" asked Soreth who was really confused how two drakes helped Natsu survive and couldn't care less about some human helping him.

"Well thanks to Cid this sword on my back stopped those few surprise attacks you landed on me from being as bad as they would have been. As for those drakes, it's because of them that I can now do this which I really don't know why it came so easily to me when I still can't do it with fire yet." said Natsu as his left arm turned into nothing but smoke that still resembled his arm just completely black now with smoke coming off of it.

"How is that even possible?" asked Soreth in complete disbelief that Natsu could use two dragon slayer elements.

"That I couldn't tell you Soreth, but you've already proven to me that I can keep humans hidden from you and other drakes. So let's finish this so I can get back to my normal life that you drakes keep interrupting." declared Natsu as he got into a wide stance.

"I am fine with squashing you like a bug Dragneel even if you are a very interesting bug." replied Soreth as he charged up his roar along with Natsu doing the same. They both released their roars that seemed to be equally matched which shocked Soreth because he had never tied another drake when seeing whose roar was stronger since that was something he prided himself on. As the roars were canceled he was going to comment on how impressive that was but was startled at Natsu now being right in front of him.

So doing the first thing that Soreth thought he slashed at Natsu and was surprised to see him deflect it with his sword while getting into striking distance of him. " **FIRE DRAGON'S SMOLDERING EMBERS!** " shouted Natsu as smoke started to pour off of him as he started to slash at Soreth who was once again surprised to actually feel the sword doing damage to his beautiful scales that no other human weapon has ever harmed.

"How is your sword able to hurt me Dragneel?" asked Soreth with slight fear in his eyes as he and Natsu continued to slash at each other.

"Because it's a dragon slayer sword Soreth, that I helped make from the parts of the previous drakes that thought that they could fight me and live to see another day." said Natsu as he landed another attack on Soreth's arm.

"Very smart of you Dragneel but that won't be enough to defeat me!" shouted Soreth who covered himself in lightning and had a devilish grin on his face.

"I was wondering if you could do that, and you might of actually won if you started with that move Soreth. But just like all of the other drakes you underestimated what one dragon slayer is capable of." said Natsu who had a smirk on his face that confused Cobra and Soreth since it looked like Soreth was definitely going to win now that Natsu couldn't attack without getting hurt.

"This is still going to be my win Dragneel since you can no longer touch me without being shocked!" shouted Soreth as he launched himself at Natsu doing a combo of attacks that the dragon slayer was just barely dodging while still not striking back.

"It would seem that you are not moving as fast as you were earlier Soreth, now is that because of you keeping the lighting all over your body? Or is it because all of your wounds are now hurting more than they did before?" asked Natsu with a wicked grin causing Soreth to realize that he was in fact in more pain, even though Natsu hadn't landed an attack on him in a long time.

"What did you do Salamander?" asked Soreth as he was now really regretting that he let Natsu ground him with his first attack. Because unlike other drakes, Soreth wasn't ashamed to flee when he could see that he was losing so he would choose to live to fight another day.

"Well you see all of this smoke that I have been giving off while dodging you?" asked Natsu as he motioned to the black smoke clouds all over.

"What about it Dragneel?" asked Soreth as he tried to figure out how to get away from Natsu.

"Well unlike other smoke mine can burn anything that goes through them. And it does really great work on open wounds like you have all over yourself Soreth. And I know that you've been trying to figure out how to flee but unfortunately you won't be able to do that since you've lost your ability to fly." stated Natsu as he rested his sword on his right shoulder.

"I am still faster than you'll ever be on the ground Dragneel." argued Soreth getting ready to make a break for it.

"Are you sure about that Soreth." said Natsu as he was then consumed in a pillar of fire while giving off the aura of an actual dragon. Well that was the only thing that Soreth could compare it to even though it was quite a bit weaker than an actual dragon. But it was much more than Soreth could handle in his already weakened state meaning that his only chance of survival was to somehow win this fight.

"How are you doing this and what exactly are you doing Dragneel?" asked Soreth deciding that he was going to have to put everything into his next round of attack.

"I have activated my stage two of Dragon Force Soreth and how am I able to do this? I have achieved this with a whole lot of blood and sweat for the past year while dealing with you drakes. This is probably overkill considering that you are already injured, but how am I supposed to master it if I don't use it as much as possible when situations like this arise." said Natsu as the pillar of fire died down and he stood looking the same as when he defeated Nazeth and Razeth two months ago.

"You shouldn't be able to do this." stated Soreth as he looked at Natsu in complete shock.

"Everyone keeps telling me that but I just go right ahead and keep doing whatever they say I can't. So it's your move Soreth and try to make it a good one." stated Natsu as he held his sword in his one hand and motioned for Soreth to bring it.

"Alright Dragneel you asked for it." said Soreth who launched himself at Natsu at an incredible speed ready to bite him in half and be down with him and his town, but Soreth was shocked when his bite hit nothing but thin air as his teeth clashed together. Soreth felt a sharp pain in his chest and when he looked down there was Natsu with his sword fully imbedded in Soreth's chest. And before Soreth could grab Natsu and rip him to pieces the dragon slayer with a quick motion brought his sword out of him effectively gutting him.

"I really wish that you would have listened to me when I said that I wanted to end this peacefully Soreth." said Natsu as the drake fell to the ground with copious amounts of blood spewing from him.

"And where would the fun have been in that Dragneel?" asked Soreth as he chuckled with blood starting to come of his mouth.

"It wouldn't have been fun at all Soreth, but you would have at least still been alive which is more important than having fun." argued Natsu as he glared at the drake.

"Sorry Dragneel but we're drakes and this is how most of us are. And it would appear that you are more like us than you are willing to admit to yourself." said Soreth spitting up some more blood.

"I am nothing like you drakes, I tried to settle this peacefully but none of you are willing to listen to me and only want to see who's stronger." shouted Natsu not a fan of being compared to drakes.

"That may be true Dragneel, but I could see that you love the thrill of the battle just as much as any other drake out there. Where one false move could seal your fate, just like what happened to me today because that is when you know that you are truly alive." replied Soreth with a big grin while watching the look of Natsu's face as he heard this.

"You know that I am right about this Dragneel, otherwise you would have said something by now. So before my journey comes to an end I have one more question for you Dragneel." said Soreth who received no response from Natsu which he interpreted as a sign for him to continue speaking.

"Why do you defend these humans like your father did, when if they knew what you were capable of they would treat you just like they treat us drakes? Because mark my words Dragneel they will soon fear you more than they have ever feared us, and we both know what humans do to things that they don't understand or fear." asked Soreth still having a smug grin on his face while he was slowly dying.

"Because not all of them are like that Soreth and they would never look at me that way. Besides why would they fear the person that is protecting them from you drakes, who might I add only want to get rid of them from this world permanently?" asked Natsu back.

"Once again Dragneel you may be correct about that but I am assuming that the ones who would stick up for you are the minority. And for humans that mean the others are going to get it their way because that is how humans accomplish things, they overwhelm their enemies with sheer numbers. As for why they would turn on you Dragneel, what will your purpose be to them if you somehow manage to fight off all of the drakes? The answer is nothing and they will get rid of you like humans do with everything that they can no longer use for their own purposes." answered Soreth sounding weaker than before.

"That won't happen." stated Natsu as he clenched his sword in anger at Soreth's words.

"Dragneel you once again can see the truth in my words. So why help those humans that are only going to throw you away once you are of no use to them? When if you help the other drakes you'll never be feared or hated for your power but only be shown the respect that you truly deserve." said Soreth quietly so only Natsu could hear him, not that there was anyone else around to even listen in.

"For the same reasons as before Soreth and you are forgetting that I used to be one of them and I am not going to betray my own kind. Which is one of the reasons that I am trying to settle things peacefully with you drakes because I don't want to kill you either." replied Natsu with a determined look.

"HAHAHAHA, Igneel sure can choose them and he would be proud that you are standing your grounds on your beliefs. Even though they are wrong but you are his son so why wouldn't you defend these worthless humans to your final breath just like him. And I think you are definitely more dragon than you think Dragneel." said Soreth while closing his eyes.

"Soreth what do you know about my dad, tell me right now dammit?" shouted Natsu.

"He was one of the few dragons that wasn't completely full of themselves." replied Soreth weakly.

"I know that Soreth, what I want to know is what you meant by his final breath? Does that mean he died fighting after he left me?" asked Natsu wanting the drake to answer him but wasn't going to be fooled again like he was with Zechum.

"It's how both of you fight Dragneel, as for what happened to him I truly don't know if he's dead or alive but I soon will." answered Soreth as he started to chuckle to himself quietly.

"Thanks Soreth, you were a worthy opponent and are going to be the first kill of Dragon's Remorse." stated Natsu as he made his way over to Soreth who remained still while Natsu thought to himself that hopefully it would be Dragon's Remorse last kill as well. But unfortunately he knew that it was highly unlikely for that to be the case here.

"It was an honor Natsu Dragneel, son of Fire King Igneel." replied Soreth right before Natsu brought Dragon's Remorse down through Soreth's eye. Ending the life of another drake, bringing Natsu's total to nine drakes in the span of just one year that still wasn't over yet. So without even thinking Natsu let out his victory roar and then went about his normal routine of disposing of the body but this time taking something extra since he had a sword to actually make it possible, along with more scales since the sword made all of this faster and easier for Natsu.

"Oh shit I completely forgot about everyone else being in the bunkers!" shouted Natsu after he finished harvesting everything that he wanted from the body and then took off for the rubble that used to be city hall to inform every one of his victory and it being safe to come out.

"I can see that he's left you speechless." said Doranbolt as he came up to Cobra now standing in front of Soreth's burning body.

"I can't believe how far above me he is." stated Cobra as he looked past the flames at Natsu digging around for the mic to the speakers in the bunkers.

"Yea and he only keeps getting stronger." replied Doranbolt as he too watched Natsu searching.

"I didn't know he could do all of that, which he didn't even need to man handle me when the Council dropped me off." said Cobra still in shock at seeing Natsu's stage two dragon force.

"Well you don't have to worry since you are now on his side Cobra, but it wouldn't hurt to remember that if you do turn against Fairy Tail you are making him your enemy. And he might actually be out for blood if you betrayed them." said Doranbolt with a big grin meaning for this to be a joke. But when he looked over at Cobra he could see that the poor man didn't take it that way and was now completely terrified of turning Natsu into an enemy.

 **Natsu's place after he stormed off:**

"He's not right, they were just mad about all of the destruction." said Natsu lying down in his bed.

"Who's not right about what Natsu?" asked Ultear as she came into their room.

"Oh it was just something Soreth said to me before I killed him." said Natsu with a frown coming to his face as he thought about his battle that happened only a little more than an hour ago.

"Oh the drake, so what did he say to you that actually has you mumbling to yourself?" asked Ultear as she laid down with him as she wrapped her arms around him while resting her head on his chest, which was how she would usually go to sleep with him.

"It's nothing that important Ultear." said Natsu as he wrapped his arms around her protectively. This caught Ultear once again off guard since Natsu would usually only do this when he was asleep but this was much better in her opinion for some reason.

"Come on Natsu, it was something otherwise you wouldn't even be thinking about it. So tell me what he said to you so I can give you my opinion on it." said Ultear as she made herself more comfortable on top of Natsu since she didn't count on him holding her this way while still awake.

"Fine, he said that he couldn't understand why I would protect humans when all they are going to do is throw me away when I am no longer of any use to them." said Natsu causing Ultear to lift her head so she could look at Natsu in his eyes.

"And why would he think something like that?" asked Ultear with a very concerned look.

"He said that if I do manage to stop all of the drakes that most of the humans would become afraid of what I am capable of doing and start to fear me. And he also said that humans try to get rid of things that they don't understand and fear, which is unfortunately true Ultear." answered Natsu with an expressionless face.

"But Natsu all you have been doing recently is saving countless lives." argued Ultear.

"And look what that got me today Ultear." pointed out Natsu with a sad chuckle.

"Oh that makes you freaking out on them, understandable since they pretty much just proved the drake right." stated Ultear not realizing that this was not what Natsu wanted to hear.

"So people will start fearing me." said Natsu with a hurt expression on his face.

"Oh no, that isn't what I meant Natsu and they only said that because they just lost most of their possessions like you said earlier. Also they didn't know about everything that you did for them, which I am confident that they do now." replied Ultear franticly.

"But what about the places that I won't be able to set up bunkers for Ultear?" asked Natsu still concerned that Seroth was right.

"Natsu you'll probably run into a lot of people who will blame you for things that you couldn't prevent since you're only one man. But most of the time they are just wanting to blame someone for everything that went wrong and you will be the easiest person for them to blame." said Ultear.

"This isn't really making me feel any better Ultear." stated Natsu who was wondering where she was going with this.

"I was just getting to that part Natsu, everyone else will see you for what you truly are which is a mage that somehow was able to prevent thousands of people from dying that would have if you didn't show up. All of Magnolia knows this now Natsu and it is only going to spread to every other town and village throughout Fiore. Which will probably result with most of the country seeing you as a hero protecting them from the drakes that keep showing up." said Ultear with a big smile.

"That doesn't sound that much better than being feared by all of Fiore." stated Natsu.

"How is being loved by most of Fiore a bad thing?" asked Ultear.

"That wouldn't be the bad part Ultear; it would be not being able to go out without being recognized and I don't like the sound of that. Not to mention, what would they think when I make a mistake which is bound to happen sometime and people could die?" asked Natsu with a frown.

"They'll forgive you since you are only human Natsu and have already saved thousands of people. And that is not something that will be forgotten despite whatever that drake said to you. Even if all of Fiore turns against you Natsu I will always be in your corner ready to help any way that I can." said Ultear as she then leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss that surprised him.

"Thanks Ultear." mumbled Natsu with a slight blush.

"Are you saying that about the kiss or my comment before?" asked Ultear with a huge grin as she returned her head to his chest and enjoyed how she felt in his arms.

"Both I guess, but I really needed to hear someone tell me that." replied Natsu as he tightened his hold on her.

"Natsu, I am not the only one who would've told you that. I am confident that all of Fairy Tail would have said the same thing and are willing to do almost anything for you." stated Ultear wanting to make sure that Natsu knew that he wasn't alone in this at all.

"I know that Ultear, but hearing you say that is all I really need." said Natsu as he realized right now for some reason that Ultear was the only person that he really cared what they thought about him.

"Look at you, pulling out lines like that now that you've finally kissed me." teased Ultear who was really excited to hear Natsu say that.

"That's not why I said that Ultear, I just wanted you to know how special you are to me." said Natsu with a faint blush once again making an appearance on his face.

"Thanks Natsu, so why did you kiss me earlier today?" asked Ultear as she remembered what he said about her when their guests asked him what Ultear was to him and what he thought about their future.

"It just felt like the right thing for me to do since I really didn't know if I was ever going to see you again." answered Natsu as he closed his eyes.

"Well maybe it gave you the luck that you needed out there." joked Ultear with a little giggle since she knew that Natsu probably just did it in the heat of the moment.

"Then I guess I better keep doing that each time before I leave." said Natsu as his blush deepened.

"Natsu I was only jo.. I mean that would probably be for the best, just to be on the safe side." agreed Ultear as a big smile creeped its way across her face. She knew that this was Natsu's weird way of saying that he liked her, but still didn't know about starting an official relationship with her just yet. Which Ultear was a little bummed about but once again this was getting her closer to them actually being a couple like most of the guild already thought they were already.

"Well we better get to sleep since you've got a lot of work to do tomorrow." said Natsu still with his eyes closed.

"What I think you mean is that I have a lot of work while you'll just sit back and watch." stated Ultear in a happy tone because of the smile that wouldn't leave her face.

"I can do something else Ultear if you don't want me there." replied Natsu.

"I didn't say that Natsu, I only pointed out that I will be the one fixing everything." said Ultear as she looked up at Natsu's grin that he had as he slowly got closer to falling asleep.

"Then I'll be there if you need anything at all, but I am truly tired right now." said Natsu while yawning in the middle of it.

"I would think so after you once again took on a drake by yourself Natsu." stated Ultear as she closed her eyes ready to drift off to sleep in his arms.

"Goodnight Ultear." whispered Natsu just quiet enough for her to hear it.

"Goodnight Natsu." replied Ultear as she was slowly lulled to sleep by the heat Natsu gave off that she had already grown accustomed to over the past few months.

 **One week later on the train to Clover:**

"I knew that some of those questions sounded funny." stated Ultear as she pointed out an article inside of a magazine that claimed to have the latest news on the Salamander and his fight with the drake that attacked Magnolia.

"How so?" asked Natsu not looking up from his book that he was always reading when he had any free time.

"You know those first few questions that you were asked Natsu? They were all from reporters that decided to use Fantasia as a way to get information out of you." stated Ultear.

"But wasn't that the reason why we did all of it?" asked Meredy with a big smile.

"Yeah Ultear, we wanted to let Fiore know that Fairy Tail is still strong and proud." said Kei with a proud grin.

"I have to agree with them Ultear, I really don't see the problem of reporters coming to Fantasia and asking me questions that I was willing to share with everyone there." said Natsu still not looking up from his book.

"Natsu, what Ultear is trying to get at is that what they did was dishonest, because you and some of the other members might have said things that you wouldn't have wanted the rest of Fiore knowing about." explained Kagura as she shook her head at the three of them since they couldn't see the problem with this.

"I would have said the same things even if I did know that all of Fiore was going to find out." said Natsu still not seeing the problem.

"That's because you are a very straight forward person Natsu. While others at the guild are not, so what if something like this happened Natsu? One of our members accidentally said something that they didn't know would be put into a magazine and because of that they lost a friend they otherwise would have still had." elaborated Ultear.

"Like someone could have died?" asked Natsu now looking straight at Ultear.

"Well I was actually talking about them no longer being friends, but it could actually lead to someone getting hurt or dying. You never know what might happen because of something small like this happening Natsu." said Ultear glad to see Natsu finally paying attention to the conversation and not his book.

"If that happens I am going to make them regret ever sneaking into Fairy Tail like that." said Natsu as he cracked his knuckles.

"Natsu you can't do that since we didn't say they couldn't do that even though it was dishonest of them. We will have to remember to check next time if we do anything like that again." stated Kagura.

"I've already made a note about that Kagura." said Macao as he looked up from the magazine that he was reading.

"That's good to hear Master Macao, I will make sure to remind you just in case you forget." replied Kagura as she made her own mental note about this.

"Wow, how many reporters do you think visited us that day?" asked Meredy as she flipped through her magazine.

"Why does that matter?" asked Natsu who had already gone back to his book because no one was harmed yet so he had no one that he needed to go and punish.

"Because every single magazine has an article about Fairy Tail or at least the Salamander the slayer of drakes." answered Meredy.

"Are any of them good articles since the ones about me before were only damage reports." asked Natsu.

"Most of the ones I have read have been about Fairy Tail still being strong after the Tenrou group went missing. And they all put a warnings in there that pretty much said if you don't want to piss off the Salamander you would be wise to remember that they are missing and not dead." said Kei with a big smile.

"One of the articles that I read was all about your little interview Natsu and it ended with a picture of you and Ultear kissing right before you went to fight that drake. They went on to say that the future you were talking about must have been closer than you originally thought, would you care to explain?" asked Kagura as she looked at the two sitting next to each other.

"Why would we need to do that?" Ultear asked back with a smile that irritated Kagura.

"Because we're all on the same team and team members shouldn't be dating each other because that can cause problems." stated Kagura as she glared at Ultear.

"I have to disagree with you on that one Kagura, because if anything it would mean that we would have better teamwork and fight even harder than we would have before." replied Ultear as she glared back.

"True, but that could cause one of you to not finish the job because of the other one getting hurt or captured. Isn't that correct Master Macao?" argued Kagura.

"There is no way in hell I am getting mixed up in this one, that's a job for Natsu." said Macao as he pointed at Natsu who was tracing his scars.

"So Natsu what do you have to say about our little discussion?" asked Ultear as she gave him a glare that he just ignored.

"I didn't even know that we were in a team together." answered Natsu causing Kagura and Ultear to sigh while the other three started to laugh at Natsu choosing to diffuse the situation by ignoring the two women.

"Well of course we are Natsu, why else would we always be together and going on jobs as well?" asked Kei after she stopped laughing.

"Does that mean I am on a team with the other dragon slayers and even with those two speed freaks?" asked Natsu not even bothering to answer Kei's question.

"I would say so for the slayers, but who are the speed freaks?" asked Meredy.

"That would be Krish and Jet, Natsu just learned that Jet doesn't like that nickname so he's been calling him that recently." explained Macao since he knew about most of the things going on in Fairy Tail, one of the perks of being it's Master.

"Well Natsu have you gone on any jobs with them?" asked Kei.

"Just a few not as much as the other slayers, who I haven't done as many jobs with as I have done with all of you." answered Natsu still tracing his three scars.

"Then it looks like you have three teams then Natsu." said Kei with a big smile as Meredy was nodding her head in agreement.

"That seems like too many teams for one person to be on. And do you know if any of them have names?" asked Natsu.

"One of them does Natsu and it's ours, and we're called Team Natsu." answered Meredy happily before Ultear or Macao could stop her. Both of them dreaded what Natsu's reaction might be to this and slowly turned to see how bad it was going to be. But both were surprised to see a small smile spread across Natsu's face at hearing this while looking at Meredy who was obviously excited by all of this.

"That's nice and all Meredy, but I really don't know if I deserve to be the person we name the team after." replied Natsu still smiling at her.

"Why not Natsu, you've already helped all of us and the rest of Fairy Tail seemed to like the sound of it?" asked Meredy now concerned that Natsu didn't like it.

"Of course they would, you know what Meredy? I like that name too so let's make Team Natsu the strongest team that Fairy Tail has ever had." declared Natsu with a grin making its way across his face.

"Sounds good to me Natsu." cheered Meredy, glad that Natsu wasn't against their team name because she really liked it.

"Well now that we have established that we are in fact a team, what is the relationship between you two at this moment?" asked Kagura as she glared at Ultear, demanding that she answer her question.

"Same as before Kagura, close friends and partners." answered Ultear with a smug smirk.

"Then what was that kiss?" asked Kagura not believing Ultear for a second.

"A good luck kiss before he went off to battle." replied Ultear.

"Natsu is that true?" asked Kagura as she directed her glare at him.

"That is was Kagura, so please give it a rest because I am finally getting to another good part in this book." said Natsu as a faint blush could be seen on his cheeks as he continued to focus on his book. Kagura had a feeling that there was more going on but decided to stop inquiring because Natsu asked her to, and all he's done for her since she's joined Fairy Tail was help her. They sat there quietly for the next ten minutes all reading their own things until the conductor announced that they would be arriving at Clover soon, causing Natsu to finally realize something.

"Wait a minute why in the world did the rest of you come?" asked Natsu as he looked at all the women with him and Macao.

"He just now realized that we were coming with him?" asked Kei not believing Natsu was that absent minded since something like this has never happened with him before since she joined their group.

"Same old Natsu." said Macao while chuckling to himself.

"Hey give him a break; we're always around him so that wouldn't be odd for him. And since we are on a train you all know that he has to focus on something otherwise he'll get sick." explained Ultear as she gave Natsu a quick smile.

"You two are still weird." said Meredy in cheerful tone as got up from her seat.

"Hey, none of you have answered my question yet." pointed out Natsu.

"I am here as Master Macao's advisor since Wakaba decided to take a job just to get out of this." stated Ultear in a tone that meant Wakaba was going to pay for making her do this.

"And we decided to just tag along since Master Macao said it would be fine." answered Meredy with her usual smile.

"Okay, but what are you three going to do during the meeting?" asked Natsu.

"Probably go and explore the town and do a little shopping." said Kei with a big smile as Kagura rolled her eyes at the prospect of shopping for hours. When in her opinion it only should take an hour max, two if there happens to be a swordsmith or shop selling swords.

"Well you three need to be careful then." stated Natsu as he put away his book as the train came to a stop.

"Natsu we're mages of Fairy Tail so there is no need to worry." said Meredy as the three of them left the cabin to go and see what Clover had to offer.

"It's because of that fact that I am concerned." said Natsu while shaking his head.

"HAHAHAHA, they'll be fine Natsu. And if not you'll be able to rush in and save them since they won't be that far away." said Macao as he patted Natsu on the shoulder and then headed out with the other two following him.

"So what are your plans for this meeting Natsu?" asked Macao now realizing that it might have been a good idea to ask him before they were already in Clover and heading to the meeting taking place in the next hour.

"What we talked about with the other Master a week ago, did I need to do something different?" asked Natsu as he walked with both of his hands behind his head.

"No that should be enough but you usually do your own thing in situations like this." stated Macao.

"Not this time Master Macao, but I did decide to bring a little surprise that should prove my point." said Natsu with a grin.

"Natsu what are you planning to do?" asked Ultear not liking the grin that he had.

"Trust me, it's something good and will help me convince some of the other Masters of how serious this all is." said Natsu who then started to whistle as he took the lead.

"I hate it when he does that." said Ultear as she watched Natsu out in front pretending that he didn't just leave her so he wouldn't have to answer any more questions.

"Ah to be young and in love." said Macao which resulted in his shoulder getting punched by Ultear as she then left him to go walk with Natsu. This of course only caused Macao to start laughing to himself and think the same thing that he had just said to her seconds earlier.

 **One hour later in the conference room of the Master Meeting hall:**

"As some of you may know we moved this meeting to an earlier date to once again talk about the drakes." said Bob since he was the leader of today's meeting.

"What's there to discuss since it's a Fairy Tail thing." said a random guild Master.

"That is one of the main reasons right there, because it's not a Fairy Tail thing. We've all just been lucky that they have been handling it for all of us." stated Bob.

"More like they made it all up so they can try to not pretend that they are no longer number one." said Jiemma the Master of Sabretooth.

"How can you say that after what happened to Senna and what just happened to Magnolia not even more than a week ago?" asked Goldmine in complete disbelief.

"Simple Master Goldmine, that mage of Fairy Tail what's he called the Salamander I think? Well he is just destroying things like he used to do when Master Makarov was still alive, but now that the old man is gone he's come up with these drakes as an excuse." answered Jiemma with a smug grin. That was replaced by one of shock when he felt a large amount of magic flare up right outside of their meeting room that he wasn't able to get a good read on because it disappeared as quickly as it appeared.

"Master Jiemma I would advise you not to say such things about my Master. Especially with Salamander so close by, whose name is actually Natsu Dragneel if you even care to know. And for the last time we are not making this up and are only try to prevent other disasters like Senna from happening, which we were lucky to avoid at Magnolia." said Macao as he glared at the huge man.

"Master Macao I can say whatever I want, and I along with a few other Masters are sick of you Fairies thinking you're still the best. Your stunt of disbanding Twilight Org and whatever you want to call what happened at Fantasia won't trick us into letting you boss the rest of us around." said Jiemma as he glared right back at Macao.

"We have never once tried to boss you around. All I have ever done is try and warn you so you can save your mages and towns in case of a drake showing up, because you won't be able to do a thing to them. Which was made clear by the first on that Natsu had to take down after a lot of mages lost their lives, or when the second one came and the Council sent their Rune Knights that didn't stand a chance against it." argued Macao in a loud tone.

"Oh but this Salamander of yours can? Sorry Master Macao but I don't think that your pink haired little brat can even compare to any of my top mages. Meaning that if one of these supposed drakes does show up we'll be completely fine without the help of that weak brat." said Jiemma who once again detected the magic but this time he couldn't help but feel a little threatened as it stayed present for a few seconds and he still couldn't get a good read on it, but he could tell that who or whatever it was seemed pissed. Jiemma wasn't the only one that detected it since all of the other Masters and their advisors were now staring at the doors, all except for Macao and Ultear who both were sporting grins at the reaction Natsu was getting while not even being in the room.

"What the hell was that?" asked the Master of Titan Nose, which was the question that all of the other Masters were wondering as well.

"That would be our guest for this meeting and since Master Macao and Master Jiemma are finally done with their usual argument. That hopefully our guest will be able to settle once and for all and hopefully open all of your eyes to the clear danger that these drakes are posing to our guilds and all of Fiore." stated Bob with a big grin.

"And who is this person that can settle this whole debate about if the drakes are even real?" asked a different Master.

"That would be the person that has been dealing with them for us." answered Bob as his grin got bigger.

"You don't mean Salamander do you?" asked Jiemma with a little rage in his voice.

"I most certainly do Master Jiemma." replied Bob as he gave Jiemma a wink.

"We all know that he's just going to lie like his Master if you can even call him that." said Jiemma as he pointed a finger at Macao who was only grinning at all of this.

"We knew that you would think that Jiemma which is why Natsu is bringing proof that drakes exist since you all for some reason don't believe two whole towns that have actually seen them." responded Bob.

"They're only going to try and trick us just like she did with the Council. Yeah I know about past Ultear Milkovich, what I don't know yet is how some dark mage whore like you was able to get the Council to wipe your records clean and sneak into a weak guild like Fairy Tail." said Jiemma as he glared at Ultear whose only response was to shake her head knowing what was most likely going to happen next. And it was just like she thought it would be when the doors were blasted off of their hinges and flew to the other side of the room.

"Okay I have heard enough out of your pompous mouth for today Jiemma. Sorry about the doors and not waiting for you to tell me to enter Master Bob but Jiemma here has gone too far for me to just sit by as he disrespects everything that I hold dear." said Natsu as smoke and fire surrounded him as he made his way towards Jiemma who was shocked by Natsu's sudden entrance and the power he was emitting.

"No problem Natsu, frankly I am surprised that you waited this long to make such a flashy entrance." replied Bob with a smirk as he looked at all the startled Masters who had never interacted with Natsu before. And had only seen earlier pictures of Natsu when he looked like a happy teen that had probably just destroyed something that most likely costed as much as the reward for the job he was doing. That Natsu compared to the Natsu now were nothing alike since the one before them now looked like he had gone through hell and back again because of all the scars that he had and the intense glare that he was giving Jiemma.

"I really wanted to come in earlier, but held off because you all asked me to. But when he disrespected Ultear that was the last straw for me Master Bob, so Jiemma what were you saying about me not being able to take on any of your top mages? Because as far as I know none of your mages are or have ever even been asked to become a Wizard Saint and that includes you Jiemma. While I on the other hand was asked a week ago, but thanks to these drakes I had to respectfully decline because dealing with them is what is important right now. So try and act like an actual guild Master and put aside your irrational hatred for me and my guild and think about saving the lives of your guild members and the citizens of Fiore." said Natsu now standing right in front of Jiemma just asking for him to throw the first punch so he could beat the living shit out of him for what he had been saying earlier.

Needless to say all of the Masters were shocked by Natsu's little speech and him not attacking Jiemma like they all expected him to do. Most of them couldn't believe that this pink haired mage was actually offered a spot as a Wizard Saint, but when they remembered that he was the source of that magic flare earlier it made sense.

Jiemma on the other hand was actually scared of this little man standing before him. He could tell that Natsu was holding back most of his magic which if that was all the magic that he had he would still be at an S-Class level. This meant that Natsu at full power would easily rank in the level of Wizard Saint, giving credit to his earlier statement. Not only that, but Natsu's eyes promised Jiemma immense pain if he continued on the path that he was traveling earlier when bad mouthing Fairy Tail, which really scared Jiemma because no one has ever been able to make him feel this way before. But Jiemma thought that he was doing a great job of hiding all of this from them that is until Natsu started to grin at him.

"Well now that I got all of that out of the way you can continue Master Bob." stated Natsu as he walked over to Macao and Ultear and stood behind them.

"Since you have successfully gotten all of the Masters already listening to you Natsu, which by the way is no small feat, why don't you tell us about a few of your encounters and then show us what you've brought us to look at." suggested Bob who along with Macao, Goldmine and Ooba were really enjoying all of this. Because never had any of them seen all the other Masters too stunned to talk like this.

"Can do Master Bob, do you have any preference about which ones I talk about?" asked Natsu.

"Probably the ones that were difficult and the two that actually attacked towns." answered Bob.

"Alight then, the first one was actually one that I almost died to because I didn't know much about them at that time." said Natsu as he then went on to tell them all about that fight and then a few more. "So thanks to the bunkers we built no one got hurt that day except for me and they were only minor injuries." said Natsu as he finished his story about the fight that he had only a week ago.

"Those are fine stories you have their Salamander but where is this proof you were talking about earlier?" asked Jiemma with a smug grin.

"Oh yea sorry about that, here you guys go. These are some of their scales, teeth and claws that I took from their bodies for certain reasons that doesn't matter right now." responded Natsu as he brought them out of his pocket dimension to be passed around.

"This proves nothing, these could have come from all sorts of different animals just to try and trick us." stated Jiemma causing a few other Masters to nod their heads in agreement.

"I really don't know why you think we are trying to trick you guys, but I guess you could say that the most recent drake came right when I needed it to. Since I had a feeling that someone would say something like that Jiemma so what about this evidence, how would you like to explain this one away then?" asked Natsu as he re-equipped the head of Soreth onto the table startling everyone at its sheer size. The mouth was big enough to easily fit a man curled up in a ball into its mouth with room to spare.

"So Master Jiemma please tell everyone how this is not the head of a drake." said Macao who was startled by Natsu doing this but wasn't going to waste this opportunity. Jiemma was at a loss for words and decided to remain silent rather than make a fool of himself by trying to disprove something that was now right in front of all of them.

"Well it looks like we won't need to show them any of your memories anymore Natsu." stated Bob with a proud grin that all of the Masters couldn't ignore the fact that the drakes are an actual problem that they'll all have to deal with and that it isn't just Fairy Tail's problem.

"No Master Bob there is something that I want all of them to see, which is what happened to Senna because of the Council not taking these drakes as a legitimate threat. Which would have happened to Magnolia if I didn't start preparing for it as soon as I did, and what could happen to all of your towns as well if you don't take this seriously." said Natsu as he then waited for the mage from Blue Pegasus to hold out her hand for him to take so they could all see his memories of that terrible day displayed on a lacrima screen in the middle of the room.

 **After Natsu's memories finished:**

All of the Masters were left speechless once again by what Natsu showed them and this time it included the Masters that knew about this beforehand. They were all shocked by the complete destruction that the drake left in its wake which was bodies being littered everywhere. And they also couldn't believe that two young boys actually tried to save the town by taking the drake on by themselves. This led up to the fight that they all knew if Natsu wasn't a fire dragon slayer he wouldn't be standing before them right now. But what shocked all of them the most was how vicious and ruthless Natsu was towards the end as he beat the drake to death, clearly making it suffer rather than putting it out of its misery like he easily could have done halfway through the final fight.

"What are we supposed to do if mages that aren't dragon slayers can't hurt these things?" asked one brave Master who could tell why Natsu showed them all of this.

"That would be to protect the citizens of Fiore until one does show up." stated Natsu with a frown since he had to relive that day again.

"But that could take forever and they might lose their lives." stated a different Master.

"That could and probably will happen, but all guild mages should know that death is a possible outcome when they chose this line of work." replied Natsu still frowning.

"That is easy for you to say Salamander since you can actually fight these things." said another Master.

"Yes I can, which is why I have almost died three different times and every other fight was the same. One small mistake and then that would have been the end of the line for me. Which is why I don't want any of your mages to actually fight one the drakes by themselves because that would be suicide." replied Natsu.

"Then how are they supposed to protect people if we can't fight them?" asked another Master.

"That is something that you'll have to figure out for yourselves since it'll be your mages out there. But in order for me or Fairy Tail's other dragon slayer to help as much as possible it would be smart if you could alert the Council as soon as possible so they can get us there as fast as possible." answered Natsu, which socked a few Masters that Fairy Tail had another dragon slayer.

"And how would you suggest we do that?" asked the same Master.

"Well with the help of the Mayor in Magnolia we now have guards on watch at all times of the day along with our guild keeping an eye out as well. I wish I knew of a better way to detect drakes but unfortunately I don't, so we have to rely on people spotting them for now until someone comes up with a better way. And I would like to think that what we did at Magnolia a week ago shows you what your mages can possibly do while a dragon slayer or at least an S-Class mage deals with the actual drake." replied Natsu.

All of the Masters now had worried expressions since this was a problem that they could have been working on sooner if they had just listened to Master Macao when he first warned them. But that was in the past they now had to be concerned about the future and what they could do to protect their guilds and their homes, so they all sat there in silence for the next few minutes. Each of Masters absorbed in their own thoughts and plans of how to deal with this situation that was not an easy one to find solutions to.

"Well I'll leave you all to your own thoughts but just so you know I'm willing to help anyone that wants me to." said Natsu as he gathered his things and left through the doorway that no longer had any doors because of him. None of them said anything as Natsu left their meeting since he had already given them all a lot to think about.

"I think that we too will be leaving, but just like Natsu said we along with the rest of Fairy Tail are willing to help in any way that we can." said Macao as he and Ultear followed after Natsu.

"It looks like this meeting was a success since no one is talking anymore. So I am going to call this meeting to an end so that you can all go and discuss this with your guilds and get to work on your preparations." said Bob as all of the Masters got up and left still trying to figure out what they could do about this.

 **End of Chapter**

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Thanks for reading and I truly hope that you enjoyed this chapter of Master Dragneel. I was thinking about doing another little time skip in the next chapter to progress the story a little farther, which would mean that I wouldn't go in-depth about the upcoming S-Class exams. Which will have a few members pass but I still don't know which ones of the eight will, if you want certain members I would be glad to hear which ones. So I really don't have anything else to say here except for as always feel free to leave me a review and I will try to respond back to you as soon as possible.**

 **Until the next Chapter**

 **Digem Out!**


	14. Calm Before The Storm

Ch 14: Calm Before The Storm

 **Seven months later:**

A lot has happened in the past seven months for Fairy Tail, which has now put them at a full year and half since the Tenrou Group disappeared. One of the biggest changes was the addition of three new S-Class mages. The three that joined the prestigious rank of S-Class were Kagura, Jet and Laki, this meant that unfortunately the other five didn't make the cut this year. But all of them were determined to make it next year if they were chosen again, which all of them intended to be.

The trials were pretty simple when you broke them down. The first trial was to obtain a rare flower that grew out in the middle of the forest that Natsu knew like the back of his hand since he lived out there most of his life. What made this a worthy S-Class trial was that the flower only grew in very specific conditions that were hard to find in the woods. But that wasn't the only thing that made this task difficult, since it was a magical flower that was able to hide itself whenever strangers approached. Surprisingly only a few of the candidates were eliminated by this part of the exams.

The next part of the trials was another searching task like the first one. But this one was way more dangerous since they had to find Natsu in a system of caves that had a lot of dangerous monsters living in them along with all of the other dangers that come with exploring an unknown cave. Such as falling into a pit to never be seen from again or getting lost in the labyrinth of tunnels that burrowed deep into the ground.

Thanks to Meredy's magic they were able to go after any candidate that failed this portion of the exam, because before they started this part all of the remaining candidates were each linked to Meredy. And with the assistance of Cobra and a small rescue team they could easily find the candidate that was eliminated before anything bad could happen to them. And just like when Natsu made his way through the caves no monster was dumb enough to mess with either of the dragon slayers or the people with them.

Once the remaining candidates made it to Natsu's location they were shocked to learn from Master Macao that they needed to beat Natsu in order to be promoted. Of course they all initially thought that Master Macao meant in a one on one match, but thanks to a few hints that Natsu gave while fighting Jet the other two realized this and instantly jumped in to help Jet. Who up till that point was definitely losing and wasn't going to last much longer.

The battle lasted for a shocking two more hours that ended with the three candidates being too tired to continue, but were extremely pleased to see all of the wounds that they had given Natsu who was also extremely tired as well but could still fight. This made all of them realize that Natsu probably had the most stamina that any of them had ever encountered, because they were all going at him with everything that they had since he was what was standing in between all of them becoming S-Class mages.

The three of them were shocked to hear that Macao was proud of them and that they were now all S-Class. Which confused them until Natsu explained that this was mainly a test to see if they would work together or would they just sit back and watch a member fail giving them a better chance of taking him out by themselves. While it was also a really good test to see them going at it at full power, which they were all at S-Class level in Natsu's opinion.

Now you might be wondering where were their partners in all of this, and the simple answer to that is that they didn't have any this time. And Macao's reason for this was that this test was mainly to test their skills alone. And from that day onward the only mages that could do S-Class jobs other than the S-Class mages needed to be approved by him or Natsu while also doing the job with an S-Class mage. Because Macao couldn't get the thought of what happened to Lisanna out of his head, and that possibly happening while he was the temporary Master of Fairy Tail. And he wasn't going to let that happen if he had anything to say about it.

During the first month two more drakes showed up separately. And much to Natsu's displeasure the first one was another young drake that had no idea what it was getting itself into. Natsu decided that he would let Cobra handle this one because Cobra was constantly telling him that he was ready for it after watching his first fight with Soreth. Unfortunately this was one of Natsu's biggest mistakes since he became someone that everyone at Fairy Tail looked up to and it costed Cobra his right eye. Neither of them new that the drake had no element which meant that in order for it to survive in the drake community it had to be better than the normal drake at everything else.

The battle started off like most of Natsu's did but then it took an unexpected turn for the worst after the drake had apparently learned most of Cobra's moves. This allowed the drake to take away Cobra's eye with a quick slash from its claws and would have ended him while Cobra was caught off guard if Natsu didn't block the next attack with Dragon's Remorse. The battle was very one sided after that because Natsu was pissed off that he let something like that happen right in front of him when it should have been him fighting the drake in the first place. But because of his dislike of killing the young drakes, Cobra was down an eye that he never should have lost if Natsu would have done what he should have right away.

After that for the next few days Natsu rarely smiled like he usually did and stayed alone which got the whole guild really concerned about him. And what really scared them was that the people that usually got Natsu out of his moods like this, such as Ultear and the other girls of his team couldn't do it this time. Then the most unlikely person got Natsu out of his self-loathing, which was Cobra who came up to Natsu after getting out of the infirmary and told him to quit being a little bitch about something that he couldn't have prevented. Cobra went on to say that he was the one that asked to fight it and that if Natsu hadn't been there then he would have died. Cobra went on to say that all of this was a lesson that he needed to learn so when the next one came he wouldn't make the same mistake of ever underestimating them again.

Luckily Cobra got Natsu out of that weird funk of his right before the next drake showed up which happened to be an orange fire drake that went by Verioth. Cobra once again wanted to fight this one which Natsu let him do until Verioth started to do a lot of fire attacks that Cobra could just barely defend against. This caused Natsu to let Verioth know exactly who he was, which made Verioth completely forget about Cobra because Natsu was the person that he had actually been looking for. And once again to the displeasure of Cobra, Natsu and Verioth agreed that it was going to be a duel since this was something that needed to be settled between the two fire users. And just like all of the drakes before her, Verioth was struck down by Natsu but not before giving Natsu a few new scars to remember the fight by.

As for the daily life at Fairy Tail it remained pretty much the same during these seven months. They continued to train as if some sort of big war was just around the corner, which some believed was bound to happen with the drakes that kept showing up. And they were sure as hell not going to go down without a fight, which seemed to be the attitude of all the new members that were joining Fairy Tail. Which they learned latter on that a lot of them had lost someone to the drakes, either from the attack on Senna or when the Council ordered that regimen of Rune Knights to attack the second drake that showed up.

Natsu remained busy this whole time, barely having any alone time because of all the things that he was trying to do at the same time. He had all of the training that he still did with some of the members any day that he wasn't out on a job. And thanks to the new S-Class mages Natsu didn't need to take any of those quests since they would require him to be away from the guild for long periods of time which caused Natsu to get worried. He also continued to work with Cid and Bianca, and had actually gotten a lot of stuff made for himself and a few other people in the guild with their help. And the last thing that preoccupied a good chunk of Natsu's time was him reading from his book about dragons.

But not everything that Natsu did was all business, even though he tried to make it that way. He and Ultear would spend at least one night out of the week with just the two of them doing all sorts of things together. But it was mainly just getting to know each other better than they either of them thought possible, this of course led all of Fairy Tail to agree that they were in a relationship. That both Natsu and Ultear would deny if anyone asked them about it, which only made everyone believe that they were definitely secretly dating each other. And thanks to Macao another thing that Natsu would do just for fun would be starting up the famous brawls that always happened with the parties of Fairy Tail that Macao would have for random reasons. Just to make sure that everyone was still having fun and not taking everything too serious, since that wouldn't be Fairy Tail if they only became focused on getting stronger and didn't just enjoying each other's company like they always have done before.

One of the biggest surprises was the announcement that Bisca was pregnant which led to one of the biggest parties Fairy Tail has ever had. She was five month's pregnant now, which meant that she couldn't go on any jobs with Alzack. Who kept on taking less and less of them because he didn't want to be away from Bisca if anything should happen to her. Natsu being the sometime clueless person that he is just told Alzack to just stop taking jobs if he was that worried about Bisca. This then caused most of the guild to give him a lecture about how much all of the stuff needed for a baby costed.

And Natsu being himself told Alzack and Bisca that if they needed anything at all just ask him and he would be more than happy to pay for it since people kept on refusing to take his jewels whenever he bought something in town. Which started right after the drake attacked Magnolia all of those months ago, meaning Natsu honestly couldn't get rid of his jewels no matter how hard he tried. Well if he was honest he didn't try that hard since he had no big purchases planned, which it was guaranteed that they wouldn't give it to him for free. Of course Alzack and Bisca both tried to reject his offer, which caused probably one of the most pointless arguments to take place for a total of three hours. It of course ended with Natsu winning because the other two couldn't handle arguing with him anymore since they realized that he was able to keep like that for who knows how much longer.

Another noteworthy thing that happened was Krish reuniting with his younger brother Jason, who also joined Fairy Tail after learning that his brother was a mage there. But what shocked everyone was that just after a week of Jason joining, he and Krish decided to set off on a training trip that would also serve as a good way for them to catchup with each other and have some brotherly bonding time. Macao was against it because they planned to be gone for at least a full year, maybe two if they both wanted to keep training. Macao was concerned that they wouldn't make it back to them in one piece, but after having a long talk with Natsu and Ultear he realized that this was a path that Krish and Jason needed to walk. And it was his job as the Master of Fairy Tail to support them in that decision and wait for them to return like everyone knew that they would.

One thing that most of the guild saw as a big change that Natsu would completely disagreed with them about was the fact that he changed his outfit. Thanks to Bianca, his new outfit was mainly made from the scales of the drakes that he had killed so far, meaning that it was extremely strong on all accounts and could even rival most light armor. He still wore sandals like before except for these new ones he had to actually strap into, which he realized he wanted so that there was no chance of losing them during a battle or possibly causing himself to trip like his old ones almost made him do in a fight with a drake.

Natsu's pants were similar to his old ones expect for the addition of cargo pockets and the colors being different. Instead of the main color being white it was now a dark grey, which was tied with black band like his old ones right past his knees. But the most impressive thing about the pants was that Bianca made it so that you wouldn't be able to see that they were made out of scales unless you inspected them really closely. Natsu decided to now start wearing a t-shit that was a V-neck with no sleeves and was plain white trimmed in orange and it was just like the pants. Meaning that you could barely tell that the shirt was made out of scales that Natsu too off of the drakes that he killed.

Natsu also got rid of his wristbands and swapped them out for more practical vambraces that he could actually use in a fight to block an attack. These vambraces were black trimmed in orange that you could see right away that they were made out of scales and only covered his forearms. Another thing that Natsu changed was that he was no longer using his scarf as a scarf; he was now using it as a bandana to keep his hair in line that he let get longer than anyone else had ever seen before. Granted it wasn't as long as Gajeel's or even close, but considered to how Natsu usually kept his hair it was now able to be put into a ponytail if he wasn't using his scarf to keep it inline.

Now the last part of Natsu's new outfit was a new coat that he would always wear and never have buttoned up. This coat was also made out of the scales of a few drakes, the ones that he had the most scales of which happened to be in the colors of orange and black. It was an orange trench coat that stopped only a foot off of the ground and didn't have any sleeves at all; unlike he usually would have done before by keeping the left one. The coat also had a high collar that could cover most of his face if he ever flipped it up; the coat also trimmed in black with a big black Fairy Tail emblem on the back of it. But that wasn't all that this coat had to offer, it was reversible were the colors would be flipped making it now a black coat. That the only difference for the other side of the coat was that instead of having an orange Fairy Tail emblem, it now had the emblem of the dragon making a circle with its tail and wings that he found on the inside of his book.

But all of this together wasn't the biggest change to Natsu's overall look according to some members of Fairy Tail. That would definitely be the new tattoo that he got on his left shoulder that was black and looked exactly like the dragon emblem he had on the inside of his coat that he got from that book of his. For most of the members they were shocked when he randomly walked in with this new tattoo one day after working with Cid and Bianca. Because for some reason no one at the guild ever thought that he would get a tattoo other than his Fairy Tail emblem. And when asked why he decided to get it Natsu would only laugh and say that it was a secret and tell them that they didn't need to worry about it, or he would say that he just felt like it.

Another thing that some would say was Natsu's biggest change was now you would often see him with a cigar in his mouth, even though it wasn't always lit. He would also always have one of his two swords with him at all times, which some of the older members thought just looked wrong. Either his giant claymore Dragon's Remorse strapped to his back, or his new katana Dragon's Regret in its sheath on his left side. Some members asked Natsu why he didn't just keep both of them in his pocket dimension, and his response to that was he didn't want to waste the magic to bring one of them out if it was just as easy to always have one out with him.

Other than that most of the members of Fairy Tail continued to look the same except for all of them were in surprisingly good shape. Actually when they weren't doing jobs most of them would be training, which made sense that they were all that fit. Even Reedus started to slim down, but he said it wasn't because of the training and that it was because of Makarov's spell wearing off and no one saw any reason to question him any further. This now takes us to the night after the last Masters Meeting that Natsu once again attended, so that he could check in on what the other Masters were doing to prepare for drakes possibly attacking.

"Those ignorant fools, why the hell did some of them stop preparing?" asked Natsu as he brought his fists down onto the counter of the bar, causing cracks to spread out from his point of impact.

"Settle down Natsu, they probably did that because another drake hasn't showed up for half a year." said Ultear as she rubbed his back, trying to get him to calm down.

"That's all the more reason to get prepared! Those crafty bastards are probably planning some sort of large scale assault." said Natsu with a growl as his magic was rising.

"We know Natsu, which is why Fairy Tail and the rest of Magnolia is prepared." said Macao trying to help Ultear calm down their Alpha dragon slayer.

"I know but how is that going to help any of the other guilds that are once again thinking this was all some sort of joke because of Jiemma?" asked Natsu who started to give off smoke when he said Jiemma's name.

"It won't Natsu, but it's only a few of the other Masters that followed him. The rest have been preparing this entire time thanks to your last visit, which will mean that thousands of lives are more likely to be saved because of you Natsu." pointed out Macao with a small smile.

"You mean because those guild Masters aren't complete idiots like Jiemma and his small group of Fairy Tail haters. I didn't do anything to help expect for show them that you weren't lying to them about the drakes being a real threat." stated Natsu as he lit his cigar.

"And that is what opened their eyes Natsu; otherwise most of the Masters would still be siding with Jiemma. So you are definitely responsible for all of the lives that they save because of your little warning that you gave them." stated Macao now glaring at Natsu, who for some reason was focusing on the negatives rather than the positives like he usually would do.

"Okay, but what about all the people that might die because of those idiotic Masters not listening. That will all be on me for not getting them to believe that the drakes are still a huge threat." stated Natsu as he glared back at Macao.

"Natsu what is wrong with you right now? You can't be blamed for that if it even happens; you've done all that you can. So if something bad does happen the blame is on the Masters who didn't listen, and none of it will fall on you." said Ultear as she joined in on glaring at Natsu.

"Some part of me knows that Ultear, but I can't help but feel responsible for everything bad that any drake does. It's probably because I am one of the few mages that can actually stop them, which I know I shouldn't be thinking about but I can't help it. This giant break of them not showing up at all has got me really nervous, I just know that something big is going to happen soon." stated Natsu with a frown still on his face.

"Well you do know that there are three other dragon slayers, who have been training their asses off so that they can help you Natsu. That along with the rest of the guild who are willing to help in any way that they can, even if that is just distracting a drake until you show up." stated Macao with a small smile now on his face.

"Cobra should be able to handle one by himself after the last two that he went with me to take out, but Sting and Rogue are both still too young to start fighting drakes." said Natsu.

"Like hell we are Salamander, it's almost been a full year since the last time we fought one. Now that we have been training with you, Rogue and I can definitely take on a drake together. I bet we could actually take two since we're the best duo ever to be members of Fairy Tail." declared Sting as he glared at Natsu, with Lector on his head and Rogue holding Frosch in his arms while having a small smile on his face at his partner's confidence.

"You two are still only thirteen. And I do have to admit that you two are a great duo but dealing with drakes is always a life or death situation that I would rather you two to not have to face yet." stated Natsu as he looked at the two of them.

"And we're fine with that Natsu as long as you and Cobra can handle the drakes. But if more of them show up than you two can handle by yourselves, then nothing is going to stop us from joining the fight so that less people will die." declared Rogue with more conviction and determination than anyone had seen from him yet.

"You both do know that you could die if you made just one false move." pointed out Natsu.

"Yes Salamander, how could we not when you tell us that every day that we train with you. But that's part of being a dragon slayer, not even just that it's also a part of being a Fairy Tail mage!" said Sting with a big grin.

"And that means we'll do everything that we can to protect the citizens of Fiore, just like you do Natsu. And we know that you don't die for your friends you live for them, which is what we'll be thinking of if we do have to go and fight a drake." said Rogue with a faint smile.

"Frosch thinks so too!" cheered Frosch.

"You guys are already becoming fine mages you know that right?" asked Natsu with a proud grin.

"Of course we are, when the strongest dragon slayer ever is your teacher how can you not become awesome." replied Sting still grinning at Natsu.

"HAHAHAHA good point Sting, as for others helping you know my opinion on that Master." replied Natsu after a little chuckle.

"Yes I do Natsu, but I am the Master of Fairy Tail so it's my call if we send out other mages to deal with drakes." stated Macao leaving no room for argument on this like the two of them have been doing for months now.

"Come on Natsu, why do you think that everyone has been training so hard?" asked Meredy with her usual happy smile.

"I know, but this is something that most of them will have never experienced before in their lives. Not every mage can charge into a battle where the odds of them surviving are below fifty percent." stated Natsu with a frown, since that was being very generous with the likely hood of a normal mage surviving an encounter with a drake.

"Natsu every member knows that after seeing the conditions you sometimes return in after fighting a drake. But even after knowing that they still want to do what they can to protect the citizens who have even less of a chance going up against a drake." said Kagura with a stern look on her face.

"She's right Natsu, and thanks to your hard work with Cid some of us can now hurt the drakes with those weapons the two of you have been making." said Ultear with a soft smile.

"A few daggers and swords aren't going to be enough to bring one down. That only allows you to actually inflict damage to them easier, they are still incredibly fast and smart." replied Natsu seeing that he wasn't going to win this one.

"Which is why the plan is only to distract them until one of you big bad dragon slayers can come in and save the day." said Ultear in a teasing tone as she sat down on Natsu's lap.

"You don't have to make fun of me for being concerned about everyone in the guild." stated Natsu as he looked away from Ultear with a slight blush.

"Oh yes I do Natsu, especially when you are going to the extreme of trying to have us all hide in those bunkers while you and the other dragon slayers are out there fighting for your lives." said Ultear as she turned Natsu's head so they were now eye to eye.

"I just don't want to lose anyone ever again." replied Natsu with a sad smile.

"Sorry Natsu, but unfortunately that is a part of life. Which isn't that one of the reasons that you try to live each day to the fullest?" asked Ultear with a caring smile.

"That it is Ultear; I've done enough worrying today for the whole week. So let's talk about something else, how about your last S-Class job Kagura and Meredy?" asked Natsu as he looked at the two with his usual grin. The two girls happily started to tell Natsu all about the job that they completed only two days earlier. Macao could instantly tell that the rest of the guild was becoming livelier, just because of Natsu returning back to his usual happy self.

 **One hour later when everyone usually started to make their way home:**

"Everyone you won't believe what I just found out!" shouted Jet as he burst into the guild.

"Probably not since you've been gone for a month on that job you took." said Droy as he made his way to his best friend and gave him a quick hug.

"Hey you were the one that turned down going with me after I got permission from Master Macao." said Jet with a grin.

"And it's a good thing that I did because I otherwise would have never gotten some of these seasonal seeds." replied Droy with his own grin.

"What did you find Droy?" asked Jet, who was glad that it turned out to be a good thing that Droy didn't come with him.

"Jet didn't you have news for us?" asked Laki as she glared at him, causing the poor man to take a step back in fear.

"Oh yeah sorry about that Laki." said Jet while rubbing the back of his head nervously.

"Jet you better tell us now before everyone decides to just leave." stated Ultear as she motioned to the few members that were doing just that.

"Okay, so as some of you know my last job was one that the Council actually requested. And to make a long story short, once I finished it the client let me in on a little secret that I don't even think Master Macao knows about." said Jet with a smug grin on his face as he looked at Macao.

"And what would that be Jet?" asked Macao with and eyebrow raised since after becoming the guild Master he knew a lot about what was happening all over Fiore. That was mainly thanks to the Master Meetings where they would discuss what's happening in each of their neck of the woods.

"Oh just a little something called the Grand Magic Games." answered Jet loudly so everyone could hear, which wasn't needed since they were all listening to him already.

"Is that supposed to mean something to us Jet?" asked Natsu as he moved his cigar to the other side of his mouth.

"No, but that is because this is going to be the first year of the Grand Magic Games which they have been trying to keep secret for a long time now. And it's a competition between all of the guilds spread across Fiore with the purpose of determining who is the number on guild, while also showing to all of the country what some mages are capable of." said Jet with a big grin that was instantly lost by Natsu's next comment.

"That sounds stupid, how is some sort of competition supposed to determine something like that. When everyone already knows that we are number one, not because of how strong we are but because we are a family that can accomplish anything that we put our minds to." said Natsu that got a lot of the members agreeing with him.

"Natsu you know that there are those out there like Jiemma who would say otherwise." stated Macao.

"I don't care what an idiot like Jiemma thinks, and that goes for anyone else that thinks like him." said Natsu in a deep voice because of how much he disliked Jiemma.

"What Master Macao was trying to get at Natsu was that not all of Fiore believes that Fairy Tail is still number one. Since there is a lot of other guilds out there that are quite strong and are accomplishing as many jobs as we are." explained Ultear who was still sitting on Natsu's lap, and had been since she first hopped on.

"Whatever, I don't think we should even compete since it would be a waste of our time. Besides we have more important things to be worried about, such as the drakes. Actually who in their right mind would have such a competition while the drakes are still a problem?" asked Natsu as he looked at Jet for an answer.

"This was all set up by the Royal Family." answered Jet, not being able to answer anything else other than just that.

"Natsu I would assume that they are just like the other Masters and are assuming that since no drakes have popped up in the last six months. That there is nothing to worry about, so why not set up a competition like this which is guaranteed to make them a lot of jewels somehow." stated Wakaba.

"That's stupid." replied Natsu.

"That it may be Natsu, but it would definitely be a good way to clearly up once and for all that we are still number one. And then not even Jiemma could dispute it anymore if we won this Grand Magic Game thing, but like you said we should be focused on the possibilities of drakes showing up again." said Macao as he stroked his chin and thought about all of this.

"Oh I forgot to tell you that the winners get thirty million jewels for their guild." said Jet with a smirk, knowing that this would guarantee that they would be competing in them.

"Master Macao, before you agree to this I can give you that much if we don't compete." said Natsu, shocking all of them that he apparently didn't want to compete in this thing that much.

"Natsu what are you doing, this seems like something that you usually would have loved to do, so why in world are you so against it?" asked Wakaba, who knew how much Natsu loved to fight strong opponents. And these Grand Magic Games were bound to have a lot of them.

"I don't know Wakaba, but this whole thing with no drakes just has me on edge. And I don't want to be in some stupid fight for the country's amusement when a drake appears." replied Natsu as he traced his three scars that ran over his left eye.

"The Grand Magic Games aren't for another three months, so maybe something will happen before then to put you at ease." said Jet with a little smile.

"Maybe, but I still don't know why they would do something like this." stated Natsu with a slight frown.

"Well as the Master of Fairy Tail I have decided that we are going to participate. Now before you start to argue Natsu, you can think of this as another reason to train everyone harder than you already are. And another thing that you probably didn't think about is that this will give you a chance to destroy all of Jiemma's mages right in front of all of Fiore." said Macao with a sly grin.

"Fine Master Macao, but you do know that I am going to make most of the members to start hating you. Because of the training that I am going to put them through, and the whole Jiemma thing will just be a pleasant bonus." replied Natsu with his own grin that caused a few members to already start dreading the upcoming months.

"I am fine with that Natsu, mainly because they are all going to realize that this is all Jet's fault for telling us about this before any other guild knows about it." said Macao with a big smile as he looked at Jet, whose mouth dropped to the floor after hearing that.

"Hey you are the Master here, you don't have to let Natsu to start training us like he does Sting and Rogue." shouted out Jet, trying to get the rest of the guild to realize that it wasn't his fault that they might be going through hell for the next three months.

"It's not that bad." stated Sting with Rogue and the Exceeds nodding their heads in agreement.

"Maybe not for you slayers and S-Class mages, but for us normal mages it'll be impossible." shouted out a random guild member.

"Quite everyone, you should know that Natsu will only give you things that you can actually do. And also Jet this is all to ensure that we win those thirty million jewels." said Macao with a look that was now known as his jewel crazed look.

"Don't you mean that it's so that we retain our position as the number one guild in Fiore?" asked Ultear with a sly grin.

"Yes you are correct Ultear, which is definitely what I meant to say. Jet do you know anything else about these Grand Magic Games, like where they are going to be held and how many events are their going to be?" asked Macao who was back to normal.

"Well this is what I was told that they are planning to do right now, which is this whole thing is going to take place over three days near the capital city of Crocus. And each day there is supposed to be an event that one person from each guild has to participate in. After that there is supposed to be battles that once again has at least one member from each guild fighting in one of the many that take place each day. And that is all I know, and you will probably get a letter with the rule book within the next month." said Jet, glad that he paid attention to all of this after his last job.

"That means training is going to start tomorrow." said Natsu as he puffed out a large cloud of smoke while grinning.

"Natsu." said Ultear while glaring at him.

"Sorry my bad Ultear." replied Natsu as he sucked up all of the smoke.

"I can't wait!" cheered Meredy with only a few other members sharing the same excitement as her. They were mainly the higher leveled mages that knew they could handle whatever Natsu had planned for them.

"We'll see if you are that excited Meredy after the first week." said Natsu as he and Ultear got up from the bar.

"Of course I will be Natsu, I have been able to do everything that you have thrown at me so far." stated Meredy as she glared at him.

"That's because Ultear would have killed me if I went any harder on you Meredy. But now that it is for this stupid Grand Magic Games, and I have been instructed by Master Macao to train all of you. I won't have to be concerned about that since I am only following orders." said Natsu with a smirk.

"You're just messing with me Natsu, isn't he Ultear?" asked Meredy as she turned to Ultear who decided to not look at her in the eyes.

"As you can see Meredy, this isn't a joke. So if I were you I would get as much rest as possible because tomorrow is going to be one hell of a day for everyone at Fairy Tail. And just remember everyone this is all thanks to Master Macao and Jet." said Natsu as he and Ultear left the guild holding hands.

"Well that's my queue to leave." said Jet right before he disappeared.

"Master, what have you gotten us into?" asked a random member of the guild.

"Calm down everyone, it won't be that bad. This is Natsu just messing around with all of you, at least that is what I hope it is." said Macao now a little concerned that he might have messed up by telling Natsu to actually start training them harder.

 **One week later:**

"Seriously Natsu, that was a little extreme." stated Wakaba as he looked at the empty guild hall that usually would be filled by now.

"Hey I was only training them like Master Macao told me to." replied Natsu while also looking at the empty guild hall.

"I didn't mean train them so hard for the first week that they wouldn't be able to move afterwards." shouted Macao while glaring at the dragon slayer.

"Hey we're not all that tired." said Jet as he and all of the S-Class mages and the candidates from the last one except for Krish walked into the guild.

"And that also includes us." shouted Sting who was sitting at a table with the other dragon slayers expect for Natsu.

"That may be true for just you guys, but everyone else are more likely to not even show up today." replied Macao while shaking his head.

"They won't be Master Macao because this week is their week off." stated Natsu with a grin.

"Does that mean that they aren't going to show up at all?" asked Macao.

"Not at all Master Macao, but they will need at least one day since this was the first time that some of them have ever trained so hard in their lives. After today they will all be back to normal, and remember Macao this is all so we can win those stupid Grand Magic Games." replied Natsu still grinning as if he just won something.

"Well about that Natsu, I am thinking that I made a mistake about having you train them so that we definitely win." said Macao knowing that some of the members wouldn't be able to do another week of that.

"Does that mean we aren't going to be participating in that stupid thing?" asked Natsu hopefully, which people thought was still really odd that he didn't want to do them.

"No Natsu, I actually just received the invitation letter earlier today that also came with the rule book. And each team can only have fifteen members on them, which means the rest of the guild doesn't need to be put through your crazy training unless they want to." stated Macao with a smug grin since he knew that Natsu wasn't hoping for that answer.

"Darn, I was really hoping that we wouldn't be participating." replied Natsu.

"Why are you so against the Grand Magic Games?" asked Kei, who wasn't at the guild the first time he explained.

"I don't know Kei; I just find it really suspicious to have them at all I guess. I am probably just being paranoid because of the drakes not doing anything for so long." answered Natsu while tracing his scars.

"I thought that you would be happy that they haven't showed up in a while Natsu?" asked Laki with a confused face.

"I am Laki, but every drake that I talked with made it sound like they weren't going to stop coming here until they achieved whatever their true purpose was." replied Natsu.

"Do you know what that purpose is Natsu?" asked Meredy with a concerned look.

"My only guess right now would be getting rid of all humans, which has always been a goal of drakes. But so far none of them have told me anything yet, but that is to be expected when they are trying to take my head." responded Natsu.

"So Master Macao, who's going to be on our team for the Grand Magic Games?" asked Ultear, wanting to get the topic off of drakes.

"Well I was thinking that all of you guys would of course be on the team." replied Macao with a big smile as he watched the excited expressions come over all of their faces except for Natsu's.

"Does that include Team Dragon Slayer?" asked Sting while standing on top of a table with a really big and hopeful smile.

"Of course you three are going to be on the team." said Macao still smiling at the young mage.

"Hell yea, soon all of Fiore will know about Team Dragon Slayer!" shouted Sting causing the two exceeds to cheer with him.

"Master Macao are you sure that is wise?" asked Natsu who still didn't want the rest of Fiore to learn about Sting and Rogue.

"Yes I am Natsu, because like they told you last week. You can't stop them from doing all that they can for the guild or Fiore, so they might as well make their big appearance at the Grand Magic Games. Also they are both really capable mages thanks to your training." said Macao who couldn't help but chuckle at how much Natsu tried to protect the other members of Fairy Tail. Especially the new batch of members that some were calling the next generation of Fairy Tail since the last one supposedly ended with the Tenrou group disappearing.

"Fine Master Macao, so who are the other three going to be?" asked Natsu.

"What do you mean other three Natsu, there are only two more open spots?" asked Macao as he counted to make sure that he was correct, which he was.

"Master Macao there is only twelve mages here, unless Wakaba or you are going to be part of the team." stated Natsu as he gestured to all of them except for himself.

"Salamander you are on the team as well." stated Cobra with a smirk while rolling his eye at Natsu not being able to realize this.

"Like hell I am Cobra, I have been against this whole thing from the beginning so why on earth would I be on the team?" asked Natsu who honestly couldn't see why he would be on the team.

"Because of how strong you are you idiot!" shouted pretty much everyone there except for a few that were now just laughing at him.

"But what if I don't want to?" asked Natsu with a devious grin.

"Doesn't matter Natsu because this is an order from your Master, and you are also going to be the team leader." declared Macao with a smug look as he watched the shocked expression spread across Natsu's face.

"Why would you give that job to me Master Macao, it's definitely a better job for someone like Ultear?" asked Natsu while also trying to pass it off to someone else already.

"Natsu you are perfect for the job because you know everyone's strengths and weaknesses from all of the training that you've done with them. And with that knowledge you'll be able to pick who is best suited for each event and fight that we'll be participating in." said Ultear with a comforting smile directed at him.

"But you know most of that stuff too." protested Natsu.

"That is true Natsu, but you just admitted that I only know most of it. Which is why you will be a better team leader than me." pointed out Ultear with a sly grin.

"I don't think I have won a single argument in the last three months. So who are going to be the other two members on this team Master Macao?" asked Natsu after letting out a long sigh.

"I would've had Alzack and Bisca fill those two spots but it obvious that neither of them will be able to do that. So the next two are Nab and Cole, and I think that you will agree that they both are the next best choices." stated Macao.

"Oh that new member who is a fire mage that isn't too shabby with a sword?" asked Natsu as he went through all of the new members that they have gotten over the last year and a half.

"That's the one Natsu." replied Macao.

"I guess those two will do, but isn't fifteen members kind of a lot for only six total things?" asked Natsu.

"Not really when you think about it. There is a really good chance that some mages will not be able to compete in more than one event because of being injured. Also not all of the events are probably going to be good choices for certain members to participate in." explained Kagura, who had clearly though about this before Natsu even asked the question.

"I didn't even think about all of that." said Natsu as he put a cigar in his mouth and lit it.

"And he's supposed to be the team leader." joked Jet, which got a growl out of Natsu but was cut short by someone entering the guild and clearing their throat.

"Is this the mage guild that goes by Fairy Tail?" asked the man that seemed familiar to Natsu, who even had a sent that seemed similar to someone else but he couldn't put his finger on it.

"Yes it is Sir, and how may I help you?" asked Macao with a pleasant smile.

"I need to speak with your mage that goes by Salamander." replied the man as he looked at few mages that were gathered here.

"And what do you want to talk to him about?" asked Ultear as she got in between the line of sight of Natsu and the stranger.

"It concerns my daughter that used to be a member here." said the man with a sad expression while looking at the ground now.

"What was her name?" asked Laki.

"Lucy Heartfilia and the reason I need to talk with Salamander is to confirm that he's telling the truth that she's still alive." replied the man that now sounded extremely sad.

"She's still alive Jude and you have my word on that." stated Natsu as he gently moved Ultear to the seat next to him. This allowed Jude to take in the new appearance of Natsu, which was quite different than the one that he saw in an article almost two years ago with his daughter.

"What happened to you Salamander, and how can you be so sure? I have hired a few private investigators over the last few months and they have all told me that she's dead." asked Jude with a frown on his face as he said the last part.

"Well I got these while I tried to save Lucy and everyone else on Tenrou Island that day. But as you can see I wasn't strong enough, I was able to notice that the island disappeared rather than being destroyed like the Council believes. And that means that she and everyone else is still alive, we just have to wait for them to return to us." explained Natsu as he motioned to his scars on his face at the beginning of his reply.

"And how long will that be Salamander?" asked Jude with a slightly hopeful look in his eyes.

"You can just call me Natsu Jude, and unfortunately I can't give you an answer for that question. But as soon as we do have any promising leads I will personally give you a call or visit." answered Natsu, hoping that it would be enough for him.

"Thank you Natsu, I can see why my Lucy loved it here. You are all the family that she deserved to have after Layla's passing; I just only wished that I could have told her this before she disappeared. And how much I still cared about her even after all the terrible things that I did." said Jude with a sad smile.

"I think that she might have known that Jude, but don't worry you'll be able to tell her all about that when she gets back here and starts worrying about her rent again." replied Natsu as he started to chuckle at all the memories of Lucy freaking out about paying for her rent.

"I don't know about that Natsu, we didn't part on the most favorable terms last time we spoke." responded Jude losing the sad smile and replacing it with a frown.

"That may be true Jude, but I know for a fact that she still loved you. Because you're her father and that is something that a few little arguments can't destroy, so just sit down and talk with her when she gets back and I promise you that you won't regret it." said Natsu with a serious face.

"Thanks again Natsu, but I have to say that you aren't as stupid as your reputation says you are." replied Jude with a little grin.

"Why the hell is that and my hair being called pink the only thing I was known for until the drakes showed up?" asked Natsu angrily as he looked at all of the people there who just had smiles on their faces.

"Because that is what stood out about you Natsu back then. But everyone now knows that it's no longer the case most of the time." replied Ultear with a little grin at the end.

"What do you mean most of the time?" asked Natsu as he tried to glare at her but couldn't.

"Natsu that means you sometimes are still your old stupid self, just like right now you big weirdo." explained Meredy with her usual smile.

"Oh, does that only happen when I am here at the guild?" asked Natsu with a slightly concerned look.

"So far yes Natsu, because you're very serious when doing a job." replied Kagura who had a small smile on her face because of Natsu being himself and not worrying about the drakes.

"Well that's good I guess." said Natsu with a grin.

"There's one more thing that I wanted to talk with all of you about, and that is her belongs that I assume someone from here took care of after they disappeared." said Jude wanting to know what happened to them. As all of the members except for Natsu turned to Macao for an answer since he was the Master.

"Hey what are you looking at me for, none of you guys remembered about any of their stuff either." shouted out Macao in his defense.

"Settle down Macao, I took care of that for everyone that didn't live in Fairy Hills since that belongs to the guild." replied Natsu with a grin that caused a few people to be concerned about what he actually did.

"Natsu, how did you take care of them?" asked Laki while glaring at him.

"Okay so I know that this is going to sound bad right away but bear with me until I explain everything." said Natsu who didn't like most of the looks that he was getting from everyone.

"Spit it out Natsu." said Macao, hoping it wasn't too bad.

"Well you see when we first got back after they disappeared; I didn't have any jewels since I gave them all to the guild to help out in my absence. So I decided to send a letter to all of the landlords and mayor concerning the properties of the Tenrou group, which said that I would be responsible for paying the rent and other things in their absence." answered Natsu with a nervous grin.

"That doesn't sound too bad." stated Kagura.

"Yeah Natsu, but weren't you gone for three months before you returned?" asked Kei.

"She's right Natsu, so how did you get them to be okay with you not paying for three months?" asked Meredy as she looked up at him since she was now right next to him.

"That's the part that you are all probably not going to like. I also put some very specific threats in those letters about what would happen if anything happened to their places while I was gone. They were along the lines of me burning down everything that they own if they tried to so much as give the place to anyone else. But I also promised to pay for everything that I missed over those three months." explained Natsu, hoping that they wouldn't be too pissed at him. He was shocked to hear most of the guild burst into laughter at hearing this.

"Hey what's so funny?" asked Natsu now glaring at them.

"You Natsu." replied Jet who couldn't get any more than that out because of how hard he was laughing.

"I know for a fact that I am not that funny." stated Natsu while still glaring at them.

"Natsu, I think they are laughing because you thought that what you did was something that they might get mad at. When in fact it was probably the best situation that most of them could think of when you are involved with things that concern the Tenrou group." explained Ultear with a small smirk.

"How so?" asked Natsu.

"Well I was half expecting to hear you say that you beat them all up just to make sure that they knew to not mess with the properties. Maybe even threatened to kill a few of them if they so much as touched something that belonged to one of the Tenrou group." answered Ultear.

"Hey, I am not going to go around and do something like that to civilians. I know that they are just doing their jobs." stated Natsu as he had a little pout on his face.

"We all know that Natsu, but you are extremely protective of everyone at Fairy Tail." pointed out Meredy as she hugged him.

"Thanks Meredy." said Natsu as he hugged her back while smiling.

"Sorry to intrude, but what did you do with Lucy's stuff after you returned?" asked Jude.

"Oh I am still paying her landlady to take care of it all. I tried to buy her place like I did with pretty much everyone else's place that went missing, but that old bird is even more stubborn than me." replied Natsu, which shocked most of the guild because Natsu was too stubborn for his own good. And if this landlady of Lucy's beat him in stubbornness, then she was someone who would never back down.

"Thank you Natsu once again, and I would like to pay you back for all of these months. While also taking up all of the payments until Lucy returns to us." said Jude with a small smile.

"Sorry Jude but I can't accept that or let you pay any of it after today. Now let me tell you why before you start arguing with me, first off we both know that Lucy wouldn't want you to cover for her while she was gone. She never wanted to take your jewels or anyone else's for that matter." replied Natsu.

"But wouldn't she be mad that you are doing all of this for her?" countered Jude as he looked straight into Natsu's eyes, which few people outside of the guild did after he got those new scars of his on his face.

"You would be right Jude if I didn't owe Lucy tons of jewels for all of those jobs that we did together. And because of my recklessness we lost most of the reward to pay for damages that I caused." explained Natsu.

"I can see how she would actually accept that Natsu, you are truly a good friend of hers." stated Jude as another small smile made its way to his face.

"Of course I am Jude, she was my partner ever since she joined our guild." replied Natsu with his usual grin.

"So what is the other reason that you want to keep paying for her place?" asked Jude, shocking everyone else that there was apparently more going on than Natsu just trying to repay Lucy back.

"You are very sharp Jude, and the other reason is I will not let that old bird beat me! If I can't buy the place then I will at least get it so once Lucy returns the rent won't be as high!" declared Natsu while shaking his left fist in the air.

"HAHAHAHAHA you are quite unique Natsu. No wonder Lucy enjoyed being at a place like this." stated Jude after laughing.

"I think you meant to call Natsu weird." said Meredy with a big smile.

"Meredy, you know that every time you call me that I am only hearing a complement. Oh and Jude feel free to come by whenever you want to, and I can tell you about some of the jobs that me and Lucy did together." said Natsu as Jude tried to slip away without being noticed.

"I might take you up on that offer Natsu." replied Jude quietly with a smile as he exited through the doors of the guild.

"Natsu did I hear correctly that you bought everyone else's property?" asked Jet wondering how much Natsu had to pay in property taxes.

"Yep, which was pretty expensive there for a little while. But after that drake attacked Magnolia the mayor said I don't have to pay property taxes on anything that is directly related to Fairy Tail. Since I helped prevent a lot of people from dying that day, but that only covers properties that aren't making me jewels like the restaurant." answered Natsu as he lit another cigar that was his second one for the day.

"That was awful nice of you Natsu." stated Kei with a warm smile.

"It was wasn't it." replied Natsu with a sly grin.

"Natsu what was the real reason that you bought all of their places?" asked Wakaba who was also grinning since he knew that Natsu wouldn't do something like that for Grey.

"Man I am getting too easy to read." stated Natsu while shaking his head back and forth.

"No you are not Natsu, if anything you are getting harder to read. But most of us here have known you for a long time now, and because of that I know that you wouldn't do something so nice to Grey without having another reason for doing it." explained Wakaba.

"Fine you got me Wakaba, I actually only bought Grey's place at first because I thought it would be hilarious if he had to pay me since I am now his landlord. And after doing that I thought it would be funny if I did the same for Gajeel, Laxu, and Gildarts. By that point I thought I might as well do the same for the rest since it would be cheaper in the long run, since we have no idea when they are coming back." answered Natsu with a grin at the beginning that turned to a sad smile at the end.

"Even though it started out as a way to annoy Grey, I am positive that they'll all appreciate it Natsu." said Macao with a proud smile on his face, because once again Natsu showed how much he cares about everyone in Fairy Tail. This even included the members that were missing right now, which didn't mean that they weren't still on the mind of the dragon slayer who was really close to all of them.

"Well I am thinking that I am going to go and start figuring out what my new training regimen is going to be now that it's such a small group." said Natsu as he got up and headed towards the back exit.

"I'll help you with that Natsu." said Ultear as she followed him.

"I was hoping that you would say that Ultear." replied Natsu as he held out his hand for her that she took and then they both disappeared through the back doors.

"Master Macao what have you done?" asked Droy with a little bit of fear in his eyes.

"Saved the rest of the guild from leaving while also guaranteeing that we win the Grand Magic Games." replied Macao while having that jewel crazed look in his eyes as he thought about the prize for winning.

 **One week later:**

"This will be the optimal training regimen that will still have it were they can fight if needed." explained Ultear as she rested her head on Natsu's shoulder.

"I am glad you thought of that Ultear, because I would have probably worked them until they wouldn't have been able to stand." replied Natsu with a slight grin.

"Which is why I decided to help you with this." stated Ultear as she turned to look into his eyes.

"I don't know what I would do without you Ultear." whispered Natsu into her ear.

"You'd mange somehow Natsu, because that is just who you are. You always are able to get back up when most wouldn't be able to continue fighting." stated Ultear quietly.

"That's because I know what I am fighting for Ultear, and now I have even more to fight for." replied Natsu once again so that only she could hear him.

"Natsu." said Ultear just above a whisper as she looked into his onyx eyes, wanting to say more but couldn't find the words.

"I know Ultear, I finally understand what I have been feeling about you for a long time now." said Natsu with a smile as Ultear looked at him in complete shock.

"You don't mean that you l.." asked Ultear but was cut off by Doranbolt appearing in the middle of the guild with complete terror in his eyes. As he shouted that he needed Natsu and Cobra immediately.

"What's the matter Doranbolt?" asked Natsu now a little concerned since Doranbolt has seen pretty much all of his fights with the drakes so far. So for him to be this freaked out it had to be really serious.

"A pack of drakes has shown up Natsu." said Doranbolt in a scared tone.

"How many?" asked Natsu as he tossed Dragon's Regret to Kagura while also flipping his coat inside out so it was now black.

"Ten." said Doranbolt causing everyone in the guild to become deathly quiet.

"So this is what they were planning." said Natsu as a grin spread across his face as he put Dragon's Remorse on his back.

"That's so many." stated Jet with a scared look in his eyes that everyone else in the guild had except for Natsu.

"That just means I can double my total number of drakes defeated." said Natsu as he cracked his neck still having that confident grin on his face.

 **End of Chapter**

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Thanks for reading and I hope that you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. So I apologize for the big chunk at the beginning that gave a quick rundown of what happened over the past seven months. But I am someone who likes to know at least a little bit about what happened whenever a big chunk of time like that is skipped. So as you can all probably see the next chapter is going to have a big showdown that will probably be take up the whole next chapter. So if anyone has an element that they would like to see in the group of drakes just let me know and I might throw that into the story. So as always feel free to leave me a review and ask me any question that you might have and I'll try to answer your question or respond to your review as soon as possible.**

 **Until the next Chapter**

 **Digem Out!**


	15. The Storm of Drakes

Ch 15: The Storm of Drakes

"Natsu you can't seriously be planning on trying to take on ten drakes with just you and Cobra?" asked Jet in complete disbelief at what he just heard come from Natsu's mouth.

"Of course not Jet, Sting and Rogue are getting what they have been wishing for." replied Natsu as he re-equipped a few more weapons and set them on the table behind him.

"Do you mean it Salamander?" asked Sting not knowing if this was just some sort of cruel joke.

"I do Sting, because I am not dumb enough to believe Cobra and I can go up against that many and come out alive." answered Natsu as he started to give out a few of the weapons to some of the members gathered around him.

"Natsu even those two won't be enough." stated Meredy who was looking at him as if this might be the last time they see each other.

"You're probably right Meredy, which is why I am giving out these weapons that Cid and I have been working on so you all can fight them if it comes to that." replied Natsu as he bent down and gave Meredy a big hug.

"We can come and fight with you Natsu." said Ultear, who Natsu could tell was afraid that he was going off to his death.

"Sorry Ultear but that will only make it harder for us." said Natsu. Ultear was about to argue with him but was cut off by Doranbolt who still looked completely terrified.

"None of that matters right now since you all still don't know what's going on." shouted Doranbolt getting everyone to become completely quiet.

"They attacked the town of Linnea and completely wiped it off of the map before we knew what was going on. And once we did that they split up and headed in different directions all over Fiore, and it would appear that they might be targeting some of the places with the largest amounts of magic." explained Doranbolt barely being able to get all of it out after recalling what the drakes did to Linnea. This of course caused tons of shocked gasps and curses to go around the guild.

"So they are targeting the guilds." stated Natsu as he looked at Doranbolt straight in the eyes.

"It would appear so Natsu, from what we could tell two are coming here." replied Doranbolt who was then shocked to instantly hear the alarms going off in Magnolia after saying that. All thanks to Jet going into Master Macao's office that was also equipped with a switch to set it off.

"Where are the rest most likely heading?" asked Natsu, snapping Doranbolt out of his shock.

"Four appear to be heading towards Crocus, and the others are by themselves heading to the closest guilds which they will probably reach in less than an hour." answered Doranbolt with a sad expression.

"Okay this is what we're going to do everyone and you are not going to like it. But we are abandoning Magnolia to help out the other towns and guilds that are most likely not as well prepared for something like this as we are. Now that is only for the members that are almost at S-Class level or are in fact S-Class, the rest of you guys are going to do exactly what we did last time a drake came here." said Natsu shocking everyone there.

"What the hell are you waiting for, do as he just said!" shouted Macao causing all of the other members of Fairy Tail to snap out of their shock and sprint into Magnolia to help with getting people into the bunkers. They had luckily made more of them to make it as it's not cramped as it was before.

"What are the rest of us going to do?" asked Kagura with pretty much only the team that they planned to use for the Grand Magic Games still standing in the guild hall.

"Kagura, Kei and Meredy you three are going to be in charge of one of the single drakes. And I want all of you to remember that you just have to keep them distracted until a dragon slayer shows up so we can take them down together." stated Natsu getting nods of agreement from everyone.

"Jet, Droy and Laki you'll have another one of the single drakes." ordered Natsu, once again not getting any disagreement.

"Max, Warren and Nab you have a different drake that is by itself." said Natsu as he looked at the three of them.

"Cobra you and Ultaer are going to take the last drake that is all alone. And before either of you start arguing with me, you two are going to be the ones that I am relying on to help the others out so try and be quick about dealing with your drake." said Natsu as the two he mentioned nodded in agreement, even though both of them didn't like it.

"What about us Salamander?" asked Sting who thought that he and Rogue would have been sent to deal with a single Drake.

"You two are going to handle the two drakes that are coming here. And I want both of you to stay safe, which means I literally don't care if I come back and find that noting left is standing of Magnolia. All that matters is you two stay alive and protect each other, because buildings are something that can easily be fixed." said Natsu getting once again getting shocked reactions from everyone still gathered there.

"Alight that settles everything, so my last order is for all of you to make it out of this alive otherwise I am going to bring you back so I can kill you myself." said Natsu with a smirk as he looked at all of them.

"Natsu who's going to deal with the four still together?" asked Doranbolt, concerned that he might have forgotten about them.

"That would be just me of course." replied Natsu still having a smirk on his face.

"Natsu you can't take on four by yourself, that is as good as killing yourself!" shouted out Ultear who was completely against this.

"The same thing was said about anyone going up against Acnologia, but I proved them wrong about that. Besides I have a plan that will most likely level the playing fields for me, so don't worry about me." said Natsu with his usual grin.

"Natsu I.." started Ultear but was silenced by Natsu bringing her in for a long kiss.

"Thanks for the luck Ultear and I have something very important to ask you after all of this. Doranbolt take me to right outside of Crocus and then I hope you will be able to take everyone else to where they need to be." stated Natsu after separating from Ultear.

"I should be able to do that, but then I probably won't be able to do anymore for a while." replied Doranbolt, who was still a little shocked by all of this.

"Good, now remember that I expect to see all of you back here still breathing after this is all over. Okay Doranbolt let's get this party started." said Natsu as he then grabbed Doranbolt's shoulder and they both then disappeared.

"That son of a bitch!" shouted Ultear as she realized that Natsu left before she could argue with him. This caused a few of them to chuckle even though they were in a very serious situation.

"We all should have seen that coming, it's just like Natsu to take on the hardest opponent by himself. But don't worry everyone, I know that he'll make it out of this fine and probably even show up to help some of you out. And remember what he said, you are all expected to return here still alive." declared Macao as he glared at them and got a few nods of agreement.

"Who's next?" asked Doranbolt as he appeared where he used to be at moments ago.

"That would be us." stated Cobra as he stood next to Ultear.

"Well then come on you two, every second could possibly save thousands of lives." shouted Doranbolt as he grabbed both of them and then disappeared with them.

"Way to not put any pressure on us." mumbled Meredy with a little frown.

"Come on Meredy, we'll be fine as long as we keep a positive attitude." said Kei with a small smile.

"You're right Kei, Natsu was able to keep smiling even though he was going off to fight four drakes all by himself." replied Meredy with a little smile.

"That he did." said Kagura with a grin just as Doranbolt appeared again and was looking tired already.

"Who's ne.." asked Doranbolt who was then surrounded by the three girls that were just talking.

"Go Now!" said Kagura in a commanding tone and then they disappeared just like everyone before them.

"Do you think those three will be alright?" asked Nab.

"They'll probably have an easier time than us." said Warren as he twirled the sword Natsu gave him moments ago.

"I wouldn't be surprised if those three actually took down their drake by themselves." stated Max with a grin.

"You can't be serious?" asked Nab in disbelief.

"We are Nab, Kei is the only one that is not S-Class on that team. And that is only because she got lost in that cave during the exams." said Max as Doranbolt appeared again now looking worse than before and didn't even talk this time.

"We're next." stated Warren as his group surrounded him to be teleported them to the location that their personal battle with a drake would most likely take place.

"Well what are we waiting here for Rogue when our drakes are already on their way here?" asked Sting looking at his best friend.

"Good point Sting, let's go out there and start coming up with a game plan." replied Rogue as the two of them sprinted out of the guild.

"You three are awfully quite." pointed out Macao with a faint smile.

"Just hoping that this doesn't turn into another Tenrou situation." replied Droy as the other two nodded their heads in agreement.

"It won't be because everyone that just went out there has been training for something like this to happen." replied Macao with a confident smile.

"I sure hope so Master Macao, because I really don't know if Natsu could handle losing anyone else." said Jet as Doranbolt appeared again and almost fell over.

"Doranbolt are you sure you can do another group?" asked Macao as he looked at the man concerned that he was pushing himself too far. All he got as a response from Doranbolt was him nodding his head as Droy helped hold him up.

"Don't push yourself too hard Doranbolt, and you have no need to return here after you take these three to the last drake." stated Macao who once again didn't get a response from Doranbolt. The mage then just teleported the remaining mages of Fairy tail away without saying a word.

"Master Makarov I really hope that this was the correct action to take. But you did always say that we could rely on Natsu in times of crisis like this. Please all return home safely everyone." said Macao to himself as he walked out of Fairy Tail's guild hall not caring to lock up since drakes were on their way here. And he just headed to the bunker that he knew Romeo would be at right now, hoping that everything would turn out all right for them after this was all done.

 **With Natsu just outside of Crocus:**

"I wonder what elements these four will have?" said Natsu to himself as he looked out at Crocus. Now wondering if any of them even knew what danger they were all in right now, but assumed that they didn't since it looked pretty normal right now.

"Looks like they're here." stated Natsu as he felt four large sources of Magic approaching him at high speeds.

"Let's see if I can I can get their attention with a roar." said Natsu with a grin as he let out a tremendous roar that lasted a full two minutes. And once it was done it could be heard echoing off in the distance for a long time afterwards. The Four drakes were now circling above Natsu, inspecting him while the city of Crocus was panicking about drakes appearing out of nowhere.

"Are you just going to stay up their like scared birds or are you going to come down here and talk with me?" shouted out Natsu, which caused the drakes to dive down and land in front of him as they continued to inspect him.

All four of the drakes were adults. The first one looked exactly like Zechum, the first drake Natsu ever encountered, while the second one almost caused Natsu to run to it because it had the same color scheme as Igneel. But Natsu knew that it wasn't him because of how much smaller it was compared to the real Igneel, and this drake you could already feel the killing intent coming off of. Something that Natsu had never felt from Igneel during the whole time that the two of them were together.

The third drake was an orange one that instead of having spikes like a normal drake would; its spikes were actually composed of fire that was continuously burning. The last drake was a completely back one, who only stood out because of the cracks that went all over its body. And through these cracks Natsu could see what he could only describe as magma flowing around, trying to find a way out of the drake.

"It would appear that all of you are members of fire drake clan, which makes explains why you all stuck together. And I can only assume that you were trying to find me." stated Natsu not showing an ounce of fear to these drakes.

"And why would we be looking for you hatchling?" asked the one that reminded Natsu of Igneel.

"Because I am the one responsible for all of the other drakes dying that came here before you. I am also Natsu Dragneel the son of the Fire King Igneel, so it would be wise if you all remembered that before we get down to business. Unless you four are going to be the first drakes smart enough to listen to my warning?" asked Natsu with a smirk.

"Why you little piece of shit, I'm going to crush you where you stand!" bellowed the orange drake as it rushed Natsu and brought its claws down on him.

"You weren't even worth our time insect." spat out the drake as it then looked underneath it's claw, and was shocked to find no pile of guts and blood like he expected there to be. The drake noticed something out of the corner of its left eye and before it could respond to whatever it was the drake felt immense pain in its left eye as everything went dark in that eye. It then bellowed a pain filled roar into the air as it was now coated in fire.

"You're lucky that your friend came to your aid there drake, because if he was a second later you would already be dead. And all I was trying to do was have a friendly conversation with you four." said Natsu now standing the same distance away from the two drakes that advanced on him as he was when they initially landed.

"I'm going to enjoy gutting you, you lowly insect!" shouted the now one eyed orange drake.

"Avantador shut the hell up, if I didn't notice what Dragneel was doing you would already be dead like he said. All because of your stupid ego and not realizing that a worthy foe stands before us." said the red drake as he glared at the drake now known as Avantador.

"That was just dumb luck!" shouted out Avantador ready to charge Natsu again but instead let out a roar of pain as he was thrown to the side by his own tail. Because the black drake had enough of Avantador and decided that the best way for it to stop would be to remind him who's boss.

"Why the hell did you that Morenth!" shouted Avantador as he got up and looked at the bite mark left in his tail.

"Because you are a complete idiot if you actually believe that Dragneel took your left eye by sheer luck. Also I am tired of hearing your annoying voice, which if I hear it one more time before I want to then we are going to be the ones going at each other." replied the black drake that Avantandor called Morenth.

"You are very impressive Dragneel for how young you are." stated the dark grey drake that had red claws and spikes.

"I am the son of Ingeel and it was kind of necessary for me to get stronger thanks to those other drakes that came before you." replied as if he was talking with an old friend.

"Well since you already know the names of those two, I might as well introduce myself. My name is Vorlianth but you can just call me Vorlia if you want Dragneel." spoke the grey one while having a grin.

"The names Culdreth." stated the Red one that was still eyeing Natsu cautiously.

"I feel honored to learn all of your names, but I would still prefer if we could end this peacefully." replied Natsu shocking most of the drakes.

"And why would we do that Dragneel when we could easily kill you right now?" asked Vorlianth as she cocked her head sideways.

"You should know that it wouldn't be an easy battle for anyone, especially since none of you are as strong as Acnologia and he couldn't finish me off." stated Natsu as smirk spread across his lips.

"There's no way a hatchling like you could survive an encounter with a monster like him!" shouted Avantandor who's head was then promptly smashed into the ground by Morenth's tail.

"I warned you what would happen, and that was the smell I couldn't place on you Dragneel." said Morenth with his own smirk.

"Apparently his scent is going to stay with me forever, just as the scent of every other drake that I was forced to kill." replied Natsu with a frown.

"If I had to guess you've killed eleven drakes so far." guessed Morenth after licking the air a few times.

"That I have Morenth, ever single drake that came here." stated Natsu as he looked at the black drake that he could see lava in the back of its throat every time he talked.

"HAHAHAHA you are still merely a hatchling Dragneel, but you're wrong about taking care of ever drake that came here. You haven't even noticed those that haven't tried to kill other humans and have only been observing from a distance." replied Morenth after laughing deeply.

"I wouldn't have even tried to harm them if I knew about them, because as you said they haven't killed any other humans. And that is all I am trying to prevent here, so why don't you all go back so I can go deal with the other drakes of your pack." said Natsu with a little bit of hope that it might work this time.

"Sorry Dragneel but that isn't going to happen, and why do you think the pack separated like that?" asked Morenth as he slowly made his way towards Natsu.

"Well since you have been apparently watching most of what I have been doing, I would have to say you did this knowing that there was only two dragon slayers willing to fight you. You also did this to cause as much damage as possible." replied Natsu now having his own grin.

"You are correct Dragneel, but why in the world are you grinning like that?" asked Morenth as he continued his slow walk towards Natsu.

"I am confident that some of those drakes are soon going to find out that humans aren't as lowly as you all believe them to be. Oh and there is also two more dragon slayers willing to stand up against you drakes." answered Natsu who was still grinning.

"We'll see about that Dragneel, and so long son of Igneel it was nice knowing you." said Morenth right as Vorlianth appeared behind Natsu and slashed him in half, since he wasn't expecting it. But they were all shocked to see that rather than blood flying everywhere like it usually would but Natsu turned into a black cloud of smoke that disappeared.

The next second Morenth could only watch in horror as Natsu materialized on the back of Vorlianth with his sword coated in fire that was raised above his head. The other two drakes also watched as Natsu shouted **"FIRE DRAGON'S CLEAVING SWORD SLASH!"** and then brought the sword down onto Vorlianth's left wing and got three fourths of the way through it. Vorlianth roared out in pain as Natsu disappeared in a puff of smoke leaving the other drakes completely confused.

"I told you that I wouldn't make this easy on you drakes if you tried to take me on four to one. But then again I should have known that you drakes are too much of cowards to take me on one at a time like dragons would do. Then again they are more honorable and stronger than you guys so I really shouldn't be surprised that you would use such underhanded tactics." said Natsu with as sneer as he swiped Dragon's Remorse to get Vorlianth's blood off of it.

"You bastard!" shouted Vorlianth.

"I'm going to rip your head right off!" shouted Avantador as Culdreth let out a roar of fire into the air. All three of them charged Natsu who was still sneering at them during this whole thing, and as all three of them were only ten yards from Natsu they came to a screeching halt. Because of Morenth letting out a tremendous roar that caused the ground to shake and the heat to rise even higher than it already was.

"STAND DOWN THIS INSTANT OR I'M GOING TO BE THE ONE RIPPING OFF YOUR HEADS!" bellowed Morenth as he glared at the other three drakes who slowly pulled back from Natsu while all still glaring at him.

"You were cutting it pretty close there Morenth, another second and that hot headed Avantador wouldn't be moving anymore." replied Natsu now grinning like a mad man.

"I know that what you just did was a ploy to get us riled up Dragneel, because you know that most drakes hate being compared to those overgrown lizards that think so highly of themselves. I also know that you think if we agree to battle you one on one, which is what you were trying to do, that you might stand a chance. But sorry to break this to you Dragneel, but there is no way even you could do that." said Morenth in a deeper tone than he was already using which was already extremely deep.

"Then it would appear that you guys have nothing to lose by agreeing to take me one on one. Or are you drakes afraid that a little dragon slayer is going to man handle all of you?" asked Natsu as he watched Morenth try and hide the angry that flared up in him at Natsu's words. The other three didn't try that at all and were now all growling at him, waiting for permission from Morenth to rip into the smug dragon slayer.

"I will agree to that under the one condition that you tell me how you did that thing with smoke earlier." growled Morenth, socking the other three for a second but then realized that they were each going to get a chance to end Natsu. That is if he didn't die to whoever went before them, which made all of them want to be the first challenger of Natsu's.

"Oh you didn't know about that, well it looks like your spies either didn't see what happened or didn't believe it. Doesn't really matter since you are all going to die today, but I am a fire and smoke dragon slayer. And you can thank Nazeth and Razeth for giving this power to me even though it almost killed me." answered Natsu as one of his fists was covered in smoke as the one holding his sword was coated in fire along with the sword.

"That's not possible, you should be dead Dragneel!" shouted Morenth in complete disbelief.

"A lot of people and drakes keep telling me that, so I would have to say that I am still alive because I just have way too much to live for right now. So Avantador let's see if you still have your fangs and claws, which I can already see that you don't." taunted Natsu causing Avantador to launch himself at Natsu not waiting for permission from Morenth.

"This one won't be much of a challenge unlike Morenth and Culdreth." thought Natsu as he rolled under Avantador's slash and gave the drake one of his own to the now completely exposed chest of the drake. Causing another pain filled roar to go into the skies that was soon going to be followed by more here and all across Fiore over next few hours and maybe even into the next day.

 **With Ultear and Cobra:**

"It'll be here in a matter of minutes." stated Cobra as he looked at the sun that still had a few more hours of staying in the sky.

"Then I am going to go warn Lamia Scale." replied Ultear as she was about to run to the guild that was off in the distance.

"No need to Ultear, I can hear them panicking while setting up their defenses." stated Cobra with a slight frown.

"Do you know what they have set up to protect their town?" asked Ultear who was actually glad that she didn't have to warn them, which would have resulted with her helping evacuate the citizens when she would've wanted to be fighting so that they could hopefully end this quickly and help the others. Specifically Natsu, but she knew that the others came first because Natsu would be furious if they tried to help him first.

"They have a few bunkers similar to Salamander's but probably won't hide the scents of the people inside them. They also have some high level wards around some other shelters that are being powered by their mages. I just hope they won't have to test if they actually have enough power to go up against an actual drake attack." answered Cobra still admiring the scenery with a faint smile that Ultear noticed.

"What are you looking at Cobra?" asked Ultear with a faint grin.

"Just the beautiful view." replied Cobra.

"Wow I never expected to hear that from you of all people Eric." said Ultear with a bigger grin than before, because she knows that Cobra still preferred to only be called that by Kinana.

"After those last two drakes I helped Salamander with, I see the world in a way that I never thought I would. There is so much beauty around us and we're all lucky to be experiencing it. I can't believe that I didn't notice this until after being around Salamander for a few months, and to think that before this I was actually someone trying to destroy all of this." responded Cobra not even caring about Ultear trying to tease him.

"I know what you mean Cobra, Natsu did the same thing for me because I was just like you. And I probably would have ended up in a cell next to you if it wasn't for him instantly accepting me despite all of my terrible flaws." stated Ultear as she joined in on admiring the view.

"I just hope that this isn't the last time that I get to see a view like this." said Cobra who was then hit in the shoulder by an angry Ultear.

"We don't need another dragon slayer having that specific mindset of Natsu." declared Ultear as she glared at Cobra.

"HAHAHAHAHA that won't be happening Ultear, I honestly think that Salamander is the only dragon slayer out there like that. And I can't die today because my Alpha ordered me not to." replied Cobra with a little smirk.

"Finally admitting that he's your Alpha?" asked Ultear with a grin once again gracing her face.

"I did halfway through that beat down he gave me on the first day of joining the guild, but don't tell him that because you know how much fun he'll have with that." said Cobra as he went back to looking at the view in front of them.

"I am pretty sure he knows that already." stated Ultear.

"I know that I don't need to tell you this but you need to make sure you keep your guard up even if the drake doesn't have an element." said Cobra as he started to stretch.

"I know that, but why are you stretching now?" asked Ultear.

"Because the drake is going to be showing up any second now, since it was going faster than I thought it was earlier. And it wasn't even the fastest one, I can hear the faint sounds of battling already happening elsewhere." replied Cobra.

"Can you tell where Cobra?" asked Ultear wondering if Natsu was already fighting for his life and the lives of thousands of citizens that don't even know how much danger they are in.

"Salamander is already causing some drakes to roar out in pain, and I think one might be in the territory of Sabretooth while the only other one that I can identify seems to be right outside that guild that only has female members." answered Cobra as a roar was heard over head.

"Shit!" said Ultear as they watched it fly right over them and headed straight into the town. Ultear instantly sprinted after it and could only watch as the drake landed in front of a build and brought back its arm to destroy the building with one swipe. But she was shocked when the drakes silver arm and claws smashed into a barrier that looked like it just barely held.

The drake was about to take another swing until it heard a roar being bellowed from its right side; this stopped the drake completely as it looked over at Cobra who was still roaring to the heavens right now. Everyone watched as the drake took flight again and headed to Cobra who was now waiting there for it while sporting a sinister grin that he used to always have when he was a dark mage.

"It seems I was able to get your attention drake." said Cobra while in a fighting stance and staring down the drake. Upon closer inspection this drake size was in between the first one he fought which was a really young drake and that of the second one which was fully grown.

This one had a mixture of sliver and grey, and Cobra could tell from just looking at the drakes spikes that it was different than anything else he or Natsu had run into yet. Because rather than being the standard spikes and scales that are sticking out of a drake, this one's looked like they were all razor sharp blades. And the side of its arms was definitely lined with one long blade each that came to a point jutting out of the elbows. All of this was making Cobra wish that he learned how to use a sword, but he knew that wasn't going to happen because it just didn't feel right when he tried to learn with Natsu and Kagura.

"You must be the other dragon slayer that we heard about. I was really hoping that I would run into that beast of a human who has been making those other drakes look like weaklings." said the drake while chuckling to itself.

"Sorry to disappoint you drake, but I am confident that I'll be more than enough of a challenge for you." said Cobra as his arms now had purple scales on them.

"We'll see about that slayer." said the drake as it charged at Cobra hoping to separate him from his head, but was shocked by Cobra dodging it by only a centimeter.

"I will admit that you are going to make this really hard on me drake, but after training with that beast as you called him. I can now even hear the movements of something as powerful as a drake like you without being overwhelmed." said Cobra while dodging a few more of the drake's attacks all by just moving only centimeters away from them being the end of him.

"I have no idea what you are talking about slayer, but I don't see how you are going to win without even attacking me?" asked the drake as it continued to try and slice Cobra in half.

"You don't need to drake, and only a careless warrior keeps attacking like you are doing right now." replied Cobra with a sinister grin once again appearing on his face.

"I am far from being careless you puny human!" spat out the drake as it imbedded its claws into the earth and was shocked when it tried to pull them out and met some resistance. This was when the drake noticed that it no longer could see Cobra, which slightly scared it as it felt a spell being used right underneath its armpit of the arm stuck into the ground.

 **"POISON DRAGON'S CLEAVING SLASH!"** shouted Cobra as the drake was surprised to feel a jolt of pain fire through his body as the attack landed on its armpit. The drake let out a roar as it ripped its claw out of the ground and started to slash at Cobra in pure rage that a lowly human was able to wound it.

"What would you call that then drake?" asked Cobra with a smirk as he continued to dodge all of the attacks that the drake was throwing at him.

"Pure luck slayer, which is definitely never going to happen again." replied the drake as it stopped attacking Cobra and was now studying him intently.

"I take it you don't have an element." stated Cobra still smirking at the drake.

"That I am slayer, but don't worry I am just fine without it. So let's see how you handle me once I start taking you seriously?" asked the drake with a wicked grin now on its face.

"Since you are finally acknowledging me drake are you going to give me your name, because isn't that part of your customs or something?" asked Cobra.

"Tharos." stated the drake as he started to growl.

"Cobra." replied Cobra as he noticed that the drake was emitting more magic than he was just seconds ago. But he couldn't dwell on that too long because he was now being attacked again and this time the drake's speed was significantly better than before and because of that Cobra was slowly starting to get cuts all over himself. Except for his arms since that is where his scales prevented him from getting the shallow cuts that he wasn't able to dodge completely dodge.

"Not doing too well now are you Slayer?" asked Tharos with joy in his voice that anyone near would have heard as he and Cobra were now twenty yards apart from each other.

"I'm doing just fine but I wouldn't say the same for you Tharos." replied Cobra with a big grin.

"What the hell are you talking about Slayer?" asked Tharos as Cobra then pointed up. Tharos was shocked at what he saw when he looked up into the air, because there were hundreds of daggers in the air all pointing at him.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA you should know that the weapons you puny humans make can't pierce our scales." laughed Tharos while grinning at Cobra.

"These are special Tharos, but you're going to realize that when it's already too late." said Cobra as the daggers then started to rain down on Tharos. Who started off laughing which then stopped because of the pain that he was starting to feel, which then turned into a roar of pain as he received hundreds of cuts.

"How is this possible slayer, you shouldn't be able to do any of that since you are a dragon slayer?" asked Tharos as he glared at Cobra.

"Who said I was doing any of that, and now it's my turn." said Cobra as he got into a wide stance, as realization could be seen going through the eyes of Tharos now knowing that Cobra had a partner somewhere. But that was pushed to the side of Tharos' mind as he also realized what Cobra was doing.

 **"POISON DRAGON'S ROAR!"** shouted Cobra as he unleashed a huge roar of poison right onto Tharos who was able to guard his vitals just in time before the roar hit.

"I under estimated the first of your kind that I fought which costed me one of my eyes. And that is a mistake I am never going to make again Tharos, like you just did with me. But unlike what happened to back then no one is going to come to your rescue." said Cobra now coated with poison as he glared at Tharos who was still recovering from that roar.

"We'll see about that you insect." shouted Tharos as they charged each other.

 **With Kagura's team:**

"It was kind of lucky that Doranbolt gave this one to us." said Meredy with a smile as they rushed towards the guild hall in the distance.

"I am pretty sure he did it on purpose Meredy, because he knows that Mermaid Heel is an all-girl guild." said Kagura as they continued to run through the streets not caring about the people staring at them.

"There's too many people here." stated Kei with a frown as they continued to run past the crowds of people going on with their daily routine.

"Which is why we need to warn Mermaid Heel and hope they have a warning system in place like Magnolia." replied Kagura as they came to the gates in front of the guild hall.

"What do you three want?" asked one of members of Mermaid Heel who was on guard duty.

"We need to talk with your Master." said Meredy urgently.

"Sorry but strangers can't just see our Master whenever they want." stated the woman as she glared at the tree of them.

"Screw this we don't have time for this shit." said Kagura who then swiftly hit the woman in the neck with her sword still in its sheath.

"Kagura what are you doing?" asked Kei as she then watched Kagura kick open the gate, granting them access to the guild.

"Saving lives Kei and she was going to stop me from doing that." stated Kagura as Kei picked up the women that Kagura had just left knocked out on the ground.

"Kei we don't have time to argue." shouted Meredy who was already running to the guild with the other two following her.

"Where is your Master?" shouted Meredy as she burst through the doors of Mermaid Heel.

"Who the hell are you?" asked a random member.

"I am Meredy of Fairy Tail and we need to talk to your master." replied Meredy as her two partners entered the guild.

"What in the world did you do to Sarah?" asked a member who now got ready to fight the three strangers that were in her guild.

"She's just knocked out, but where is your Master?" asked Kagura as she glared at all of the women who weren't answering her question. They all took a step away from the three because of the intimidating aura that Kagura was giving off as she glared at them.

"Did you say Fairy Tail?" asked a girl that had cat like features like the ears and the tail of a cat.

"Yes we did, but that can wait until after we talk with your Master about what's coming." replied Meredy with a warm smile.

"Did Natsu come with you?" asked the girl with a big smile and looked behind them hoping to see the pink haired dragon slayer.

"You know these girls Millianna?" asked one of the other members of Mermaid Heel who were all still ready to fight.

"Nope, but they are members of the same guild as the Salamander. The man I was telling you all about, who has been fighting all of the drakes that used to be showing up." explained Millianna with a smile.

"You know Natsu?" asked Kei.

"Yep he saved me and a few of my friends at the Tower of Heaven." replied Millianna still smiling. Kagura wanted to instantly start interrogating Millianna about everything she knew about the tower, but didn't because lives were at stake right now.

"I am sick of this crap, where the hell is your Master because a drake is on its way here as we speak. And if you don't believe us I don't really care since people still don't believe Natsu about this, and he sent us here to help you guys and try to save as many people as possible. So if you are his friend then please help us prevent another Senna incident from happening to your town." shouted Kagura who was fed up with all of this. Without another word Millianna took off and a siren was then heard going off in the town.

"Sorry about that mages of Fairy Tail, my guild is a little protective." stated the Master of Mermaid Heel form the second level. As the other members of the guild rushed off to do who knows what, but it seemed like they at least had some sort of plan.

"No problem at all." replied Meredy with a smile.

"What are you all doing right now?" asked Kei.

"Most of the members are helping the town evacuate to our guild hall, while a few others are powering up our cannon." stated the Master.

"You know that it won't be able to hurt the drake." stated Kagura as she looked at the Master of Mermaid Heel, the guild which she was actually planned on joining before her first conversation with Natsu.

"I am well aware of that, which is why this cannon will hopefully immobilize the drake until Salamander can come and deal with it." replied the Master of Mermaid Heel, when a loud roar was heard coming from the town.

"It's here already." stated Kagura as her expression became one of a hardened warrior.

"Master the Cannon isn't ready yet." said Millianna who appeared right next to the Master.

"I was hoping that we would have more of a warning than this." replied the Master.

"We're sorry, I thought the Council would have given you a call." apologized Meredy with a slight frown.

"It's not your fault, but we need to try and get as many people in here before we close the doors." stated the Master as the rest of her mages took off into the town.

"What happens when the doors close?" asked Kei.

"This place becomes a pretty much impenetrable fortress that is supposed to be able to withstand a blast from Etherion. Of course we haven't tested that, but it should be enough to keep a drake from getting in." explained the Master as people from the town came storming in.

"How much time will you need to evacuate the town?" asked Kagura as all of the people coming in didn't go five within five feet of her because of the aura she gave off, that told the citizens to steer clear of her.

"An hour tops." replied the Master.

"Good, then that is what we'll give you. And as soon as everyone from the town is inside close the doors immediately." commanded Kagura before turning and heading towards the exit.

"Wait, what about you three?" asked the Master who couldn't help but be concerned for the three girls.

"Don't worry about us, just make sure that you save as many people as possible." replied Kagura before sprinting out of there.

"She's right, we're from Fairy Tail so there's nothing for you to be concerned about." stated Kei with a small confident grin before she followed after Kagura.

"We also have our own dragon that will be coming after he finishes off his own four drakes." said Meredy with a huge smile that confused the Master of Mermaid Heel as she watched the girl chase after her friends.

"Master where are those three going?" asked one of her members who just helped an elderly couple get to the guild.

"They are going to fight the drake so that we can evacuate the town." replied the Master still stunned at what she just saw.

"That can't be true; the first one looked like it. But the last too looked happy about whatever they were going to do." stated the member.

"It is Carly; they are going out there while knowing that they might die. But they have so much faith in one of their members that they are happy to go and keep the drake busy until he gets here." said the Master with a smile slowly forming on her face.

"And who are they waiting for?" asked Carly.

"Salamander." stated the Master now smiling as she remembered her two memories of the strange mage that came to the Master Meetings twice so far.

 **With Jet's team:**

"Of course we got stuck with Sabretooth." mumbled Jet as they entered the guild hall.

"How may I help you?" asked a barmaid.

"We need to talk to your Master about a drake heading this way." said Jet in a loud voice that caused the whole guild to quiet down for a few moments until almost everyone erupted into laughter.

"HAHAHAHAHA that's hilarious." shouted a mage who was holding his sides while he continued to laugh.

"We're not JOKING AROUND YOU FUCKING IDIOTS!" shouted Laki as all of the wood in the guild started to tremble slightly, causing all of the members of Sabretooth to quiet down.

"So some Fairies actually were brave enough to come here and keep spewing that bullshit to my members." said Jiemma from a thrown that was at the other end of the guild.

"We don't give a fuck what you assholes think about us but you need to start evacuating the town and do whatever else you have planned to hold off the drake." shouted Jet who wanted nothing more than to beat the shit out of Jiemma.

"We won't be doing that because there are no drakes, and we have done nothing to prepare for something that doesn't exist." stated Jiemma with a smirk.

"You arrogant bastard." snarled Droy as he was about to toss some seeds into the middle of the guild hall.

"Droy, that won't save anyone." said Laki as she grabbed his arm that had some seeds clenched in his hand. Droy took one look and could tell that Laki and Jet wanted to do the same thing as him but weren't because they both new that they would need the help of Sabretooth to deal with the drake.

"HAHAHAHA you Fairies are really pathetic and I think we should teach you how much stronger we are than all of you." said Jiemma with a sinister grin that a few of his members got right after him. But Jiemma lost his grin as he felt something graze his check, and when he touched it there was blood now coming from his cheek. And when he finally looked to the side there was a knife stuck into the back of his chair right next to his head.

"You so much as try that Jiemma the next one won't just graze you like that one." said Jet as he glared at him.

"You little bastard!" shouted Jiemma who then noticed that a few of his members were now on the floor unable to move because of wood wrapping around them.

"We are only here to warn you pricks, but it seems like we should've just let the drake destroy your pathetic guild." said Laki as she glared at all of them.

"Dad what if they are telling the truth?" asked a younger lady with black hair.

"Minerva I have already told you that these pathetic Fairies are only trying to keep their position as number one. And are willing to do anything to keep it, like trying to get us to help them with these fake drakes." replied Jiemma as he glared at his daughter.

"Sorry Dad." replied Minerva as she bowed to him.

"Jiemma you can't honestly believe that we would be do something that crazy." protested Droy.

"That is exactly what I think you Fairies are doing, especially that Salamander. I am not buying into your crazy lies, and soon everyone else will agree with me about that. And I can't wait to destroy Salamander and your precious guild that you call a family at the Grand Magic Games." declared Jiemma.

"Droy forget about them, we'll have to do this by ourselves." stated Jet as he was still glaring at Jiemma.

"I can't Jet, even if they have an arrogant Master the rest of them can't all be like him. Which means that some of them are willing to help us if it means that lives will be saved." said Droy as he looked at the rest of the guild and saw a few members look like they wanted to help but were too afraid to go against Jiemma.

"Sorry Droy but they're too afraid to go against their Master." said Laki as she let go of the mages that were on the ground. Just then a man burst through the doors completely out of breath, but still managed to get out a complete sentence.

"Master Jiemma the town of Aster has just been attacked by a drake and they need your help!" shouted the man as he then tried to catch his breath.

"Fuck, I thought they were targeting guilds." shouted Jet.

"Apparently this one doesn't care, how far is Aster form here?" asked Laki as she looked at the guild for an answer, but all were too afraid to answer.

"You Fairies are unbelievable, you even got a local to join in on this farce." said Jiemma as he glared at them. Not noticing the shocked expression on the man who came for help, after hearing Jiemma say that.

"You're a complete idiot Jiemma, and I am shocked that you are a Master." replied Jet as he glared back at him.

"Please someone tell us so that we can at least go try and save some lives while you all sit here on your asses." begged Laki who already knew that more people where probably dying each second.

"It's only three miles south of here." replied Minerva, the only one brave enough to speak.

"Thanks Minerva." said Laki with a faint smile as Jet put her on his back.

"Just drop this seed once you get there Jet and I'll be there in a few seconds." said Dory as he handed Jet a large seed.

"I'll see you in a bit then Droy." replied Jet who then disappeared with Laki on his back.

"Minerva you'll pay for telling them that." said Jiemma as he glared at his daughter who was now cowering before him.

"Jiemma your daughter just saved lives, all because she was the only one smart enough to realize that we aren't joking around here. Now I hope that you can put aside your hatred for my guild so that you can help us save as many lives as possible." said Droy in an angry tone while completely alone in the Sabretooth guild hall.

"That's awfully brave of you to say when you're all alone Fairy, I think I might have to repay you for what your friend did to me." said Jiemma as he touched the cut on his check with a sinister grin.

"If that means the rest of your guild helps against the drake then I don't care what you do to me." stated Droy without any hesitation, which shocked all of the members of Sabretooth.

"That won't be happening Fairy." stated Jiemma as he got off of his throne.

"Then I will be leaving so I can go help my friends, and anyone that wants to actually help Fiore and protect Aster is free to join. All you have to do is walk into the flower that will be outside of your guild, and it will take you to Aster where you can make an actual difference." replied Droy as he then turned around and left.

"Any member that follows him will be kicked out of the guild, and will have to go through the right of banishment." said Jiemma as he noticed a few of his members look like they were about to follow Droy.

"What if a drake is actually attacking Aster?" asked Minerva with a concerned look. The next thing she knew she was flying through the air until she hit a wall and crumpled up at the bottom of it, thanks to the swift back hand of Jiemma.

"For the last time Minerva, this whole business about drakes are just lies made up by those fairies!" shouted Jiemma as he glared at his daughter that was slowly getting off of the floor. As the rest of the guild looked away too afraid to say or do anything, in fear that Jiemma would let them feel his wrath.

 **Back with Jet's team:**

"What took you so long?" asked Laki as Droy came though his flower, while also sending giant wooden fists at the drake that was smashing them as if they were nothing.

"I was trying to get Sabretooth to help us out." replied Droy with a frown.

"I take it that they aren't going to?" asked Jet who appeared with a wounded lady in his arms.

"Unfortunately I don't think so, but I'll keep the flower open just in case." said Droy with a hopeful expression.

"Well I am going to send the survivors back through so they are at least nowhere near here." stated Jet as he pretty much shoved the lady into the flower and then disappeared to go get more.

"Droy I could really use some support!" shouted Laki who was now on the roof of one of the houses in Aster.

"Sorry Laki, what element does it have?" asked Droy as a plant lifted him up to the roof.

"It's a poison one that seems to be similar to Cobra, who really should have been the one to take this bastard on." shouted Laki as she continued to attack the drake with all sorts of weird wooden contraptions.

"If that's the case then I have the perfect counter." said Droy as he then started to jump from roof to roof making his way to the center of Aster.

"Droy are you crazy don't get that close to it." shouted Laki.

" **CLEANSE PLANT!** " shouted Dory as he threw a large amount of seeds into the air that spread in every direction and started to cover all of Aster. And as soon as they touched anything they sprouted into white flowers, which turned a light purple in the areas that have poison in the air. And they then became a darker purple as the started to absorb the poison in their area.

"That's incredible Dory." shouted Laki who then watched something happen that would stick with her for the rest of her life. The drake was now right behind Droy who had no idea that it was there, and Laki could only watch in horror as the drake brought its claws down on Dory. This resulted in the house being completely destroyed with the drake letting out a victorious roar into the sky.

"DROY!" screamed Laki at the top of her lungs.

 **With Warren's team:**

"I never would have guessed for this to be what we would be going up against today." stated Nab while still having a shocked expression on his face.

"You've got that right Nab." said Warren not believing what he was seeing.

"Come on guys, we all knew that there were different elements out there. And it's not like all humans look the same, so why wouldn't drakes be the same." stated Max with a grin.

"HAHAHAHA you Fairies are wild." said Bacchus as he slung an arm around Max's shoulder.

"Thanks I guess." replied Nab as he looked at most of Quatro Cerberus standing out in the middle of the field with them. And right in front of them about fifty yards away, stood a drake that looked like it was completely made out of grey stone.

"I can't believe that it's just waiting for you guys to shoot it with your cannons." stated Warren who even with his telepathy would have never guessed that this would be happening.

"Natsu told us that drakes are very proud creatures, so of course it would want to prove to us that we can't even scratch it." replied Goldmine with a smug look on his face.

"You do know that we're extremely lucky that he even listened to us." pointed out Max.

"That we are, but sometimes you have to count on luck. Which we needed to do this time since we didn't have enough of a warning to get the cannons ready in time." said Bacchus as he took a drink out of the gourd that he always carries with him.

"Are you sure that you want to be drinking at a time like this?" asked Nab concerned about Bacchus.

"HAHAHAHA this is exactly when I should be drinking." cheered Bacchus as he got a cheer of agreement from the rest of his guild.

"Nab he's the guy that is stronger when he's drunk. You've probably heard of him by his moniker The Drunken Falcon." explained Max as Nab's mouth dropped to the floor.

"You mean the guy that Erza tied with and we're never supposed to bring up in front of her?" asked Nab.

"The same one Nab." replied Warren with a grin.

"So when is Titania and the others coming back?" asked Bacchus with a drunken grin.

"Natsu doesn't know when they're coming back yet, but once they do return you'll definitely hear about it." said Warren as he took Bacchus's arm off of him.

"I need to meet this Salamander, Goldmine said he's too wild even for our guild." stated Bacchus as he took another big drink.

"He'll probably show up here if we can't handle this big guy." stated Nab as he looked at the drake that was patiently waiting for them.

"Humans what is taking so long, Morenth will not be happy if he finds me just sitting around for you like this?" asked the drake as it sat down.

"Just a few more minutes." shouted Goldmine as if he wasn't just talking with a drake that wanted to kill them.

"You've got three minutes before I decided to take you all out and then go and destroy that town of yours." replied the drake in a gravelly voice.

"Who is this Morenth that you're concerned about?" asked Warren finding it odd that the drake was concerned about another drake.

"He's our Alpha, which is a very impressive feat human." stated the drake.

"Could you explain to use why that's impressive because we unfortunately don't know much about your culture?" asked Warren.

"Why not human, it's better than waiting here in silence. And the main reason it's impressive is because in order for a pack this big to last as long as we have, the Alpha has to be someone that every drake in the group respects. That means he's unquestionably the strongest drake in our group, and can easily take on any two of us at the same time if we ever tried to turn on him." explained the drake.

"Why would you ever turn on him?" asked Max.

"We drakes don't like taking orders from other drakes if we don't have to. So of course a few of us will try and become the one in charge, which is why packs are extremely rare when they are as big as ours." answered the drake with a grin.

"Alright drake the cannons are ready." shouted Goldmine.

"Finally, let's see what you've got humans!" shouted the drake as it got back up and was still grinning at them.

"FIRE!" shouted Goldmine and for the next five minutes they shot the drake with their cannons. After the first minute they couldn't see the drake because of the smoke, but they continued to fire for another four minutes until they decided to see what their cannons did to the drake.

"Is that all you can do humans?" asked the drake as it cleared the smoke with a few flaps of its wings. They all looked to see that the drake looked completely fine, as if they hadn't unloaded on it for five minutes straight. This caused panic to spread throughout most of the mages of Quatro Cerberus, until the laughter of Bacchus could be heard.

"What are you laughing at human?" asked the drake as he glared at Bacchus.

"I am laughing at you of course. Because all I see in front of me is an opponent who thought that he was untouchable which was just now proven wrong." replied Bacchus after downing all of what remained in his gourd.

"What are you talking about human, your cannons did nothing to me?" asked the drake as it started to inspect itself.

"Then what do you call those cracks on the right side of your chest?" asked Bacchus with a crazed grin on his face while cracking his knuckles. The drake looked where Bacchus said and was shocked to see that there were indeed cracks there.

"That still means nothing, since it took five full minutes of your cannons unloading on me." argued the drake that was now wondering what was wrong with this human.

"That may be true drake, but it just shows me that all we need to do is focus on a specific spot. Also you haven't faced me yet and I hit harder than those weak ass cannons." replied Bacchus.

"You're crazy human." stated the drake.

"Nope I am just wild, just like the rest of my guild!" shouted Bacchus as he then charged the drake with the rest of his guild cheering and joining in on the attack. The mages of Fairy Tail also found themselves charging in with them, all thinking that Bacchus somewhat reminded them of Natsu. Because just like their dragon slayer, Bacchus somehow turned a situation that looked extremely bad for them into one of where there was a little bit of hope that everyone grabbed onto immediately and charged into battle without another thought.

"I'll just squash you like the bug you are human." bellowed the drake as it tried to smash Bacchus, who dodged it with speeds that the drake didn't expect. The drake then felt a hit to his other arm that all of his weight was on, and was shocked to realize the he had now just fallen onto his chest.

"I can't let Salamander beat me; I have tied with the mighty Titania who used to man handle the kid. So if he's able to defeat you drakes then so can I!" shouted Bacchus as he unleashed a fury of attacks on the temporarily downed drake. That was then followed up by the rest of his guild attacking as well.

 **At Magnolia:**

It was a ghost town at the moment and you could have heard a pin drop from a block away. Well that was instantly ruined when Sting came flying through a window while laughing like he was having the most fun he's ever had in his life. The next second the building that Sting came flying out of exploded as a blue drake came barreling through it as it continued to chase after Sting.

"Sting just because Natsu said that we don't have to be concerned about damaging the town doesn't mean you should be destroying it on purpose." shouted Rogue from the back of a different drake that was a lighter shade of blue than the other one.

"Why do you think I am doing that?" asked Sting as he jumped to the roof of a different building as the one he used to be on was reduced to a pile of rubble. All because of the drake that Sting had enraged over the last hour of their fight.

"Because you led your drake to that specific restaurant and then waited for it to catch up to you!" shouted Rogue as he dodged the drakes attempts to get the dragon slayer off of its back.

"I did no such thing Rogue!" shouted Sting as he continued to dodge the attacks of the drake that was after him.

"Yes you did Sting, you got banned form that restaurant a week ago and you have been trying to come up with a way to get back at the manger since then. And you knew Natsu would never let you do anything to him, so you came up with this." said Rogue who was finally shaken off of the drake and was now going in and out of shadows to keep from being cut into pieces.

"Would you believe that it was a lucky coincidence?" asked Sting as he dodged the drake trying to bite him and landed a kick to the back of its head, causing it to crash into a few more building.

"Nope." replied Rogue who was glad that their Exeeds were in the bunkers with the rest of the town.

"Will you two little rats stop dodging us and die already?" shouted Rogue's drake.

"Nope, because our Alpha told us that we had to survive." replied Sting with a smug grin.

"And you know that you can't disobey the orders of the Alpha." said Rogue who was once again on the back of the drake attacking its wings.

 **End of Chapter**

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Thanks for reading and I hope you all enjoyed reading it. And as you can all see I decided to at least make this a two part battle that might even stretch into a third one depending on how things go. So you got to see how some of the other guilds prepared for the possibility of a drake showing up, and also that some did nothing like I mentioned in the last Chapter. So as always feel free to leave me a review or hit me up with a pm and I will try to respond to you as fast as possible.**

 **Until the next Chapter**

 **Digem Out!**


	16. The Eye of The Storm

Ch 16: The Eye of the Storm

 **With Kagura's team:**

"How long has it been?" asked Meredy while clutching her left side that was bandaged up poorly.

"I'd say we are at least on hour three right now, and I don't know how she's still out there fighting?" replied Kei with a frown, who had a few more cuts and bruises that she didn't have over three hours ago.

"All of the town's people have been evacuated for a while now so what should we do?" asked Meredy as she looked in the direction that the drake was fighting with Kagura at.

"You're the S-Class mage here Meredy." stated Kei with a little grin.

"That I am which means we need to go and back up Kagura." declared Meredy with a confident grin.

"Let's get going then." replied Kei as they both headed in to fight with the drake again.

"You are the strongest pure human that I have ever run into." said the green drake as Kagura and it were twenty yards from each other.

"I would like to say that you're my toughest opponent to date, but that would be a lie." replied Kagura. The green drake, which they learned really quickly, was a crystal drake was a little taken aback by this comment. And its spikes that were jagged spikes of crystal jutting out of it started to glow a bright green, which then disappeared as it unleashed a roar at Kagura. Who saw it coming from a mile away thanks to the glowing crystals on the drake's back.

"How dare you belittle me human!" shouted the drake knowing that Kagura wasn't done in by her roar.

"Sorry but I am not going to say that you are stronger than our best dragon slayer who also happens to be my master." declared Kagura as she started to slash away at the drakes left side.

"Well then I can only assume that he'll be pissed when I drop your body in front of him." replied the drake with a sinister grin as it blocked most of Kagura's attack.

"That's not going to happen drake!" shouted Kagura as she flipped out of the way of a slash that would have decapitated her.

"We'll see human." stated the drake that then let out a hiss of pain because of an attack landing on her left hind leg from Kei.

"We won't let that happen either!" shouted Meredy from atop of a building as she rained down her teal swords on the drake. This allowed Kagura and Kei to get to a safer distance from the drake.

"I thought that I scared you two away?" growled the drake as she glared at them.

"We just needed to get patched up." replied Kei as she held two of her red swords that for some reason hummed with excitement and could actually almost do as much damage as Dragon's Regret that Kagura was holding.

"This time I won't be foolish enough to let you escape like last time." said the drake as her spikes started to glow.

"She's going to roar!" screamed Kagura hoping that it was enough of a warning for the other two. Kagura and Meredy then watched as the drake unleashed a roar right onto Kei who only crossed her blades before she was covered by the roar of jagged crystals flying at her.

"DIE!" screamed Kagura as she unfortunately let her pure hatred take over after watching Kei die to this goddamn drake like some many of the citizens before her. The drake was a little surprised at the ferocity of the attacks that Kagura was dealing to her, but was now noticing that they were a lot sloppier than what she had been doing up till this point.

"Kagura I'm fine!" shouted Kei as she stepped out of the rubble that used to be the building she was standing in front of. And in that second Kagura couldn't help but feel so happy that Kei didn't die, which was then replaced by pain as she was then swatted away by the drake as if she was a pebble.

"She won't be able to fight after that hit, so thank you girl for distracting her like that for me." said the drake while smiling at Kei who was now too shocked to move or say anything. The drake was slowly making its way to Kei ready to bite her head off, but was stopped by a pink headed girl getting in her way and attacking the wounds that Kagura had given the female drake.

"You're annoying me human!" shouted the drake as she was wondering how this little girl was still able to move so fast after sustaining such a terrible wound earlier.

"I will not let you hurt Kei, and Kagura will be back here in a few minutes to end you!" screamed Meredy while dodging a barrage of attacks while also dealing out her own.

"Why won't you all just die like all of the other worthless humans?" asked the drake in anger.

"Because none of those humans were worthless drake, and we are fighting so you can't do that ever again. But you wouldn't value life like us, because all you drakes do is end the lives of those you see as weak." shouted Meredy, who knew that she couldn't keep this up for much longer. And was really starting to dread when her spell wore off and she would feel all of the pain that she had been blocking up to this point with her spell.

"HAHAHA you humans are an insignificant life form that was a mistake. Who are responsible for the extinction of so many other creatures for the stupidest of reason." replied the drake now smirking at Meredy.

"Are you trying to say that you are doing this to protect other creatures?" asked Meredy and was glad to have a little breather.

"Not at all girl, those creatures were weak if they let you humans destroy them. I just didn't want you thinking that your race was high and mighty like those dragons do." answered the drake knowing how to be done with this little girl.

"Kei you need to snap out of this because I could really use some help." shouted Meredy as she took a glance at her still stunned teammate.

"She can see that her time on this world has ended and now is only waiting for me to send her along her way." said the drake as she slowly made her way towards the two.

"Kei remember what Natsu said." shouted Meredy as she charged forward trying to not let the drake get any closer to her friend.

After hearing that Kei's eyes became focused and as she looked at the fight happening in front of her she could feel a little hope that they would somehow make it through all of this okay. That is until she watched Meredy dodge a slash not ready for the back swing coming at her exposed back, but to Kei's horror Meredy looked like she might have known that it was coming. Because right before it landed Meredy gave Kei one of her usual smiles for one last time, just like her friend did almost three years ago, and was launched into some other area of the town.

"HAHAHAHAHA you three have given me quite the entertainment. I have to admit that those two were quite skilled to still not allow me to slice them in half like I wanted to do. But it doesn't matter since I will be going to hunt them down in a few moments and bite them in half like I am going to do to you now little girl." said the drake as it looked at Kei who now had her head down.

"I will never let it happen again." mumbled Kei.

"Oh so something like this happened to you before human?" asked the drake who could only hear her because of her advanced hearing.

"Never again." mumbled Kei.

"Don't worry human all of your suffering will be ending soon." said the drake with a sinister grin.

"You have full access if it means my friends will survive." said Kei still with her head down.

"Sorry girl but they are as good as dead just like you." said the drake as it was about to bite her in half but jumped back out of pure instinct. And the drake watched as Kei head shot back as she let out one of the most pain filled screams that she's ever heard, while large amounts of magic were now coming off of her as she was covered in a red aura.

"What did you just do human?" asked the drake scared at the magic that was coming off of the girl now. The drake was now startled to see red and gold armor slowly forming on the girl standing before her. Kei now head a golden helmet which had a red frill going down the middle of it from the top all the way down to the back. It was a helmet that didn't disrupt her view much since its side guards and nose piece didn't obstruct her view much. She now was also wearing a golden breast plate that looked as if it depicted some sort of epic battle that occurred years ago, but unfortunately it was slightly covered by what appeared to be crimson blood splattered all over it.

Covering Kei's forearms were golden vambraces that were trimmed in red, while those too were also splattered in blood like the breast plate. She also had a similar shin guards now on both of her legs, and above that she was now wearing a skirt that had hardened leather capped in golden looking metal just like the rest of the armor. Kei now had a crimson cape that at its bottom was completely torn up, showing that it had gotten a lot of use out of it. And on her back hung a circle golden shield trimmed in red, along with the shield there was also a five foot golden lance.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA I need to thank you drake." said Kei in a menacing voice that caused the drake to take another step back.

"Why would you do that human?" asked the drake because it didn't know what else to say.

"Because Valstrath, without you doing what you did I wouldn't have been given full control." replied Kei with a crazed smile making its way across her face.

"How do you know my name human, and what the hell are you talking about?" asked Valstrath in complete shock that the human somehow knows her name.

"HAHAHAHA we are now in my domain Valstrath, and you are no longer facing a lowly human as your kind likes to call them. I am one of the many gods of war out there, but since my actual name isn't worthy for a lowly drake like you to say you can call me Ares." said Kei while taking the shield and lance off of her back.

"We'll see about that human." bellowed Valstrath as she brought her claws down onto Kei.

"I love it when they have a little bit of fight in them." said Ares while holding off Valstrath's attack with her shield, then to Valstrath's shock all of the armor that Ares was wearing lit on fire. This caused Valstrath to back off because the fire was almost as hot as that of an actual fire drake.

"So Valstrath ready to have some fun?" asked Ares who then lunged at the drake before the drake could even respond.

 **With Cobra and Ultear:**

"Why can't I move?" asked Tharos who could barely look up at Cobra and Ultear who both had a few more cuts on them thanks to him.

"Because of my poison Tharos, and I would like to inform you that you are the first opponent besides Salamander that could actually fight through it for as long as you did. But now I can't even use this on him because like you said he is a beast when it comes to battling." said Cobra as he looked at the drake clearly in tons of pain.

"If what you said was true then I wouldn't have stood a chance against him." replied Tharos with a little grin.

"No you wouldn't have." said Ultear as she glared at Tharos.

"HAHAHA you are correct human but it still would have been a glorious death. Just like the one I am now going to receive at the hands of Cobra, who is just like me." replied Tharos with a grin.

"What the hell do you mean by that Tharos?" asked Cobra as his pity that he had felt earlier for the drake was now replaced with anger.

"That you weren't raised by an actual dragon, which makes you different just like me not having an element." explained Tharos as he closed his eyes.

"Oh, I guess we kind of are." replied Cobra with a sad smile.

"Indeed Cobra, now if you could do me the favor of finishing this I would appreciate it." said Tharos quietly.

"You were a worthy opponent Tharos, **POISON DRAGON'S PIERCING CLAW!** " said Cobra as he plunged a poison coated arm through the eye of Tharos ending his life right there.

"We need to get moving Cobra." stated Ultear who was really worried about everyone else. Because their own battle was a lot harder than she expected, and they even had a dragon slayer with them which half of the groups didn't have.

"I know, but where are we heading to?" asked Cobra as he looked down at the corpse of Tharos.

"I didn't even think about that." replied Ultear now berating herself for not realizing such a big flaw in their plan.

"Then I would suggest we take a train back to Magnolia." said Cobra not taking his eyes off of Tharos' lifeless body.

"That's probably the best option we have." said Ultear as she took off towards the town and then realized that Cobra wasn't with her.

"Cobra come on!" she shouted as the turned back to the dragon slayer standing in front of his first drake kill.

"Sorry." replied Cobra as he then came up to her and they then continued on towards the town.

"What the hell is wrong with you Cobra, that isn't the first life you've ended." stated Ultear finding his reaction weird.

"True but it was my first drake kill." replied Cobra with a frown.

"And how is it any different?" asked Ultear.

"I don't know it just feels wrong but somehow right at the same time. I can't really explain it better than that, which makes me wonder if Salamander feels the same way when he kills them?" asked Cobra still frowning.

"You'll have to ask him after this nightmare is over." said Ultear as they finally made it to the outskirts of the town.

"That I will, and he's already done with two of his drakes and it sounds like the third is going to follow the other two any time now." said Cobra with a faint smile.

"I forgot that you could hear things that far away. So what about everyone else?" asked Ultear with concern in her voice but was glad to hear that Natsu was okay right now.

"Those two little hatchlings are taking Salamander's permission to destroy Magnolia to heart, and both seem to be having the time of their life while completely infuriating their drakes." answered Cobra as his smile got bigger.

"What about the other three?" asked Ultear as they approached the train station.

"I can't hear one of them at all, but what's happening to the other two doesn't sound good at all." replied Cobra losing his smile completely.

"Why, what are you hearing Cobra?" asked Ultear as they burst into the station and were surprised to see people in it.

"Death." stated Cobra with a frown as Ultear's mouth dropped open as she covered it with her hands.

"Did anyone from." started Ultear but was cut off by Cobra.

"Sorry but I don't know who is dying Ultear, but I am unfortunately hearing a few people taking their last breaths." said Cobra with a frown.

"Is a train heading to Magnolia?" asked Ultear with a sense of urgency in her voice.

"No all of the trains aren't going anywhere because of the drake attacking." replied one of the employees.

"The drake is dead and we need that train." stated Cobra as he glared at a few of the employees that were now in a group together.

"Sorry Sir, but even if that is the case a train still won't be leaving anytime soon." replied one brave employee. Ultear looked at Cobra and gave him a sly grin that caused Cobra to have a sinister grin spread across his lips.

"Never would have thought that I would ever be saying this but, we will be taking your train." said Cobra still grinning.

"Are you saying that you are stealing one of our trains?" asked the same man as before.

"That we are Sir, but you can have it back once we're done with it." said Ultear with a smile.

"I can't allow that, I'll …" said the man but was cut off by Cobra letting out a roar that caused most of the people gathered in the station to run for their lives.

"Like we would give a fuck what you think, we're from Fairy Tail and we do what we have to in order to save lives and you can tell the Council all about this. Because you all are only alive because we saved your sorry asses." shouted Cobra as he glared at the man, who was too scared to say anything or move.

"I can drive it for you two." offered a younger employee.

"Thanks Sir, you probably just saved some lives by doing this." said Ultear with a big smile as they then got into a train. That just started to move and leave the station when members of Lamia Scale appeared on the scene.

"We heard the roar, what the hell is going on here?" asked Lyon.

"That was a mage form Fairy Tail and they just stole a train." replied the man who tried to stop the mages of Fairy Tail.

"HAHAHA leave it to Fairy Tail to do something like that right after saving a town." replied Lyon with a grin that shocked all of the citizens still there.

"Do you think it was Natsu?" asked Sherry with a faint smile.

"Nope, because the roof is still on this place." replied Lyon as his grin got bigger.

"Then who else could have done that roar?" asked Sherry with a confused expression.

"That would most likely be Cobra, which they haven't been advertising about having as a member for obvious reasons." answered Lyon as a shocked expression came over Sherry's face.

"He's one of their members?" asked Sherry.

"Yep, and apparently the first thing that happened to him after joining was Natsu beating him within an inch of his life so that Cobra would know who is in charge." said Lyon as he shook his head at some of the ridiculous things he's heard and seen Natsu do.

"Well I guess he can't be that bad anymore since he did just save us from that drake." said Sherry who still didn't know how to feel about Cobra now being a Fairy.

 **With Natsu:**

"Just call them all off Morenth!" shouted Natsu who was in his stage two form of Dragon Force while holding Dragon's Remose over the top of Culdreth's head, who could no longer move because of his fight with Natsu.

"Not going to happen Dragneel." replied Morenth as he watched in shock as Natsu end Culdreth's life as soon as those words were uttered.

"Now it just leaves me and you Morenth, two alphas fighting to see which one is stronger." stated Natsu as he hopped off of the corpse of Culdreth.

"You're a monster Dragneel." said Morenth who thought that Natsu wouldn't be able to kill Culdreth because of how much he looked like Igneel. Who was supposed to be the father of the man standing before him, who cut down Avantador and Vorlianth as if they were nothing but simple annoyances to him. Natsu then surprised Morenth once again by going into stage two form of Dragon Force during his fight with Culdreth and coming out on top, all while only taking a few minor injuries.

"You're probably right Morenth, so my only question to you is, are you stupid enough to face my like the rest of them?" asked Natsu as he ran his claws across his sword making a few sparks fly.

"I have gone up against actual dragons, so there is no way in hell I am going to back down to one of their human runts." bellowed Morenth as the temperature continued to rise even higher than it already was. The area around the two of them was now turned into a barren wasteland, thanks to the heat and fire being tossed about without a care about the results of their actions.

"Then let's settle this so I can go and finish off the rest of your pathetic pack." replied Natsu with a smug grin. Without any warning Morenth unleashed a huge stream of lava right at Natsu, who just stood there still grinning as the roar made contact with him.

"You fool Dragneel, no ordinary fire drake can take one of my roars without being burned." said Morenth as he stopped his roar, now having his own smug grin that was lost at the sound of Natsu's voice.

"Well it's a good thing that I am not your average fire drake. And I thought I told you to remember that Morenth? I am the son of Igneel the Fire King and this will be your last day among the living Morenth, all because you forgot that simple fact." said Natsu as he walked out of the lava with only his clothing being slightly damaged from the attack he took straight on.

"Dragneel!" growled Morenth as he looked at the unharmed dragon slayer before him. Everything that Morenth knew about dragon slayers was being completely destroyed by this one standing before him right now.

They were supposed to be possessed by power even more than drakes, but here is Natsu who tried to not fight them right away and offered that again to each of drakes before they challenged him. Slayers were also supposed to be idiots when compared to them, and he also knew that for a matter of fact that none of them have ever had two elements. But once again Natsu completely destroyed this and everything else he knew about them, but what did he expect when he was the son of the Great Igneel, the undisputed Fire King for as long as he could remember.

"I guess I'll make the first move." stated Natsu as he launched himself at Morenth with speeds faster than what he used against Culdreth. Morenth was just able to guard his vitals right before Natsu could land a blow, which once again showed that Natsu was skilled at taking down drakes because he knew where all of their weak points were.

"Let's see how your precious sword handles this Dragneel." bellowed Morenth as lava started to seep out of his cracks. Natsu attacked one of Morenth's joints that just so happened to have lava covering it and was shocked to see Dragon's Remorse glow while in contact with the lava. Natsu knew that this meant he could no longer use his sword without completely ruining.

"Impressive defense you have their Morenth, which explains how you were able to keep this pack of yours inline if none of them could even touch you." stated Natsu as he put Dragon's Remorse on his back and then cracked his knuckles.

"Which means that I now have the advantage here Dragneel." said Morenth as he tried to smash Natsu with his tail.

"What would make you think that Morenth, I have only just recently started to use that blade to kill drakes? The first eight I killed with my bare hands and you already forgot that your lava means nothing to the son of Igneel." said Natsu as he dodged a few more swipes from Morenth and got to be standing right underneath the neck of the drake.

 **"FIRE DRAGON'S PIECING CLAW!"** shouted Natsu as he jabbed a flame coated hand into the neck of Morenth who was then able to finally swat Natsu away while roaring out in pain.

"Where are you Dragneel?" asked Morenth as he surveyed the battlefield. He tried to sniff out the location of the slayer but unfortunately their battle grounds smelt exactly like Natsu did so he couldn't pinpoint him with that. So Morenth decided to bring out some of his big guns while listening for the slayer to make a single sound, which didn't happen for the next five minutes.

"You may think that you are immune to my lava Dragneel, but we both know that you only have a strong resistance to it. Which is why it doesn't matter where you're hiding, because all will succumb to my lava." shouted Morenth as he then smashed his hands into the ground. After doing so geysers of lava started to shoot up into the air all over their battlefield and rain down lava everywhere.

"Let's end this now Dragneel." shouted Morenth who then heard a faint sound from the sky. Out of pure curiosity Morenth looked up and saw a small ball of fire, which over the next few seconds got bigger and bigger. That was when Morenth realized it was coming straight at him, so Morenth did the only thing that he could which was try to dodge it.

 **"FIRE DRAGON'S METEOR STRIKE!"** shouted Natsu as his fist connected with Morenth's right arm that let out the sound of bones shattering. Unfortunately Natsu was aiming for the bass of the neck, another weak spot that can end a fight if hit with enough force like he would have if that attack had landed. The attack landed and a large explosion of fire and smoke erupted form Natsu disrupting the view of the few people that were watching form a safe distance away. That happened to be at least a mile and a half away because of the heat coming from the two titans going at it.

"RRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!" roared Morenth as he got up out of the crater that Natsu's last attack caused. He looked down at his right arm and could tell that it was completely useless now, and then scanned the area for the slayer that did this to him. This was when Morenth notice that there was smoke everywhere and he could only clearly see his geysers of lava erupting every now and again.

"Morenth this is the last time I am going to offer you the chance to retreat." stated Natsu from somewhere inside of the smoke that was everywhere.

"I will not go back with my tail in between my legs, I would rather die than do that Dragneel." said Morenth as he tried to lock down the location where Natsu was hiding at.

"That can be arranged Morent." replied Natsu who was about to attack, but was shocked at what Morenth was doing. Morenth bit down on his useless arm and with the help of his other one removed it and then tossed it to the side like it was just a piece of garbage.

"What the hell." mumbled Natsu in shock and was then hit by Morenth's tail that launched him into a geyser of lava.

"If something is only going to get in your way, then the most logical thing to do Dragneel is to get rid of it." shouted Morenth form the air before he dove down at Natsu and tried to bit his head off.

"That would have healed if you had just left." shouted Natsu as he was not put on the defense by Morenth who was biting and slashing at him and every place he tried to stay at for more than a second.

"But that would have required me to retreat which I wasn't going to do. And if I had kept it you would have used that handicap to your advantage, also you can see I am still capable of putting up a good fight." said Morenth in between his bites at Natsu.

"How are you able to know where I am at?" asked Natsu as he continued to keep dodging all of Morenth's attack, waiting for him to leave an opening. That the drake somehow wasn't doing without one of his arms, which showed to Natsu that he might have been really lucky that his Meteor Strike landed at all.

"I am a lava drake Dragneel, which means I know how to battle while completely surrounded by smoke like any good fire drake should be able to do." replied Morenth as he backed off of Natsu.

"Makes sense I guess I am…" said Natsu but stopped mid-sentence because he felt a large amount of magic flare up in the distance. And the worst part about it was that Natsu had encountered it before and had no desire to deal with that person again. This then made him realize that something really bad must have happened for him to feel that magic from all the way over here.

But before Natsu could think any more about that he was hit by a huge blast of Lava. This caused him to scream out in pain, because Morenth was correct about him only having a high resistance. And Natsu was hoping that if he pretended that he wasn't affected by it at all that Morenth wouldn't use it anymore, but that didn't go as he planned.

"HAHAHAHA what did I say Dragneel." said Morenth as he then brought his hand down onto Natsu smashing him into the ground. Natsu then coughed up some blood, which caused Morenth to smirk down at the slayer that he had pinned beneath him. That he planned to end as slowly and painfully as possible, but when he saw Natsu grinning back up at him as if he wanted to be there he knew that something was wrong.

"I see that you forgot that I am not just a fire dragon slayer." said Natsu as he then turned into smoke and disappeared. Only to appear right in front of where the wound that Morenth self-inflicted on himself with fire and smoke swirling around his left hand that was clenched into a fist. " **FIRE DRAGON'S SMOLDERING INFERNO!** " shouted Natsu as he punched his fist into the open wound and unleashed a torrent of flames and smoke directly into Morenth.

Morenth fell onto his left said while roaring out in pain at the foreign magic invading his body. But before he could recover from it Natsu unleashed another attack on his right wing while shouting at the top of his lungs. **"FIRE DRAGON'S SMOLDERING AND PIERCING TALON!"** while bringing a foot covered in smoke and fire down onto the base of the wing. That resulted with the wing being taken clean off, causing Morenth to roar out in more pain.

 **"FIRE DRAGON'S SMOLDERING AND PIERCING CLAWS!"** shouted Natsu as he unleashed a fury of stabs, with both of his hands covered in smoke and fire, into any of the weak spots exposed on Morenth while he was still on the ground. Natsu continued to attack Morenth like this for a few more minutes with pure hatred that the drake was standing in between him and going to save his friends that needed him right now. Natsu was always favoring his left hand if possible, because he didn't want to seriously damage his sword hand that he knew he was going to need for the other drakes.

Natsu pulled back and realized that Morenth was barely breathing now and had actually never gotten up after Natsu unleashed tons of his smoke and fire inside of the drake. Morenth opened an eye to look at Natsu while having a grin spread across his mouth that allowed Natsu to see all of his teeth. And also let him notice that there was no longer any lava dancing around in the back of his throat like before, which also made Natsu realize that he could no longer see any more lava at any of his wounds or behind his cracks.

"You are indeed a monster Dragneel." said Morenth while chuckling as Natsu deactivated his stage two form of Dragon Force.

"Why won't any of you ever listen to me, I don't enjoy doing this?" asked Natsu as he looked at Morenth who was barely hanging on right now.

"You might not enjoying the killing blow Dragneel, but everything before that you love doing." stated Morenth with a grin, as Natsu remained there without even being able to deny it because he knew it was true.

"I didn't know you had the capability of using the flame of emotion?" asked Morenth with some coughing in between words.

"I only seem to have access to it under extreme circumstances." replied Natsu with his head down.

"I don't think that is the case since you had me as soon as you flooded my body with your two different types of magic." said Morenth in a softer voice.

"What?" asked Natsu as he looked at the dying drake.

"You can now access it whenever you want to Dragneel, it's what some drakes think allowed Igneel to become the Fire King and completely destroy any fool that would challenge him." said Morenth now having a faint smile on his face.

"No I got that, but what did you mean that I had you after doing that one attack?" asked Natsu.

"I was as good as dead when you sent all of that into me Dragneel. As you know drakes and dragons can't have another magic other than their own inside of them, unlike you for some reason. And that is exactly what you did to me when you unleashed all of that magic straight into me." said Morenth still smiling at Natsu.

"But you didn't consume it, so it shouldn't have killed you." argued Natsu, who knew how much it hurt to have a foreign magic inside of you.

"That would be true if you didn't do that attack so close to my heart and lungs, which are directly related to our magic." replied Morenth.

"I'm so sorry." said Natsu causing Morenth to start to chuckling weakly.

"You are definitely the son of Igneel, and you have nothing to be sorry about Natsu. It was a battle to the death, and you gave me an honorable death. You also learned how to use your flames of emotion and what happens if you do what you did to me to another drake." said Morenth as he closed his eyes.

"Why can't you drakes talk to me like this right away?" asked Natsu as he glared at Morenth.

"HAHAHAHA, because Natsu we drakes are too damn stubborn to recognize a human possibly being stronger than us. But don't worry Natsu that will soon change after a few more years, now didn't you have some other drakes to deal with?" asked Morenth still with his eyes closed.

"I do Morenth, and thank you for the battle and this little chat afterwards." said Natsu as he took Dragon's Remorse off of his back.

"The pleasure is all mine Natsu Dragneel, son of Igneel. And make sure to be proud of what you are and have done up till now Natsu, you are bound to do great things in your life." replied Morenth.

"I will Morenth." stated Natsu as he drove Dragon's Remorse into the back of Morenth's head, ending the drakes suffering. Natsu then looked around at the battlegrounds that was scattered with fire and smoke all over the place, so he did a quick disperse spell to get rid of all of the smoke and fire that was his. Once that was done Natsu started to suck it all in to replenish his magic that was at very low levels.

"Doranbolt where the hell are you?" shouted Natsu into the skies after consuming all of the fire and smoke in the area.

"I'm right here Natsu." replied Doranbolt while appearing in front of the dragon slayer.

"I knew you would be around. Take me to where you dropped Kei and her group off at right now." demanded Natsu not caring if Doranbolt could even do it. The two mages then disappeared leaving behind the four bodies of the drakes that challenged Natsu, to go on the hunt for more.

"Please tell me that you all got that?" asked Jason as he looked at three different locations that had cameramen scattered around the war zone that Natsu just left in his wake. They were of course all at least a mile and half away from the battlegrounds that was completely charred and a smoldering mess.

"Yes Jason." came three different replies over Jason's communication lacrima.

"Good because all of Fiore will want to see this. I just hope that some of our other branches were able to get some footage of the other fights." stated Jason as he started to head towards the dead drakes to get better pictures and measurements of them.

"Are you sure that it's safe to go in there Jason?" asked one of the cameramen.

"Positive, Salamander is thorough when dealing with drakes. But he usually disposes of the bodies before anyone can inspect them, so I am not going to let this opportunity pass me by. And don't worry, I don't expect any of you guys to join me on this." said Jason as he continued into the now desolate graveyard of the four drakes that challenged the Salamander and lost.

 **With Sting and Rogue:**

"Rogue!" shouted Sting as he flashed forward and jumped into the air to catch his friend.

"I'm fine Sting." replied Rogue as he stood up on his own and had a hand covering his nose, which was now bleeding profusely.

"I thought that he got you in the eyes." shouted Sting as he and Rogue jumped in opposite directions to avoid a giant blast of ice coming from the darker blue drake.

"No he only got my nose, but we need to come up with something before we run out of magic." replied Rogue as he went into a shadow to dodge the blast of water that the other drake unleashed at him.

"Well we damaged their wings so both of them can't fly away, but that means we're stuck with them." replied Sting who was now just barely dodging the attacks unlike earlier in the battle.

"Tenelth I am bored of chasing these two around, and since we can't find any of the other humans here I think we should end this." stated the light blue drake as she stopped chasing Rogue.

"I'd have to agree with you on that Cenolth." said the one called Tenelth as he also stopped chasing the two dragon slayers.

"Are you two finally giving up?" asked Sting with a smirk, but was glad that they were no longer chasing him.

"No we haven't human, but we have given up on chasing you two." stated Cenolth as she came up to the right side of Tenelth.

"So what are you two going to do?" asked Rogue as he appeared right next to Sting.

"We're going to finish you off with our next attack." replied Tenelth as frost started to spread around him in every direction.

"We'll just dodge it like all of your other attacks." taunted Sting.

"That is what we want, because no one has ever been able to dodge this attack." said Cenolth as she started to breathe in a lot of air, which they both knew meant that she was going to unleash a roar on them. Rogue could tell that the drakes weren't joking around about no one else ever being able to dodge this attack that they were preparing to unleash. So he decided to go against his better judgement and take a page out of Stings book.

"Sting I think we should give them our special attack." stated Rogue with a frown as Sting was now sporting a huge smile.

"Do you really mean it Rogue?" asked Sting barely able to contain his excitement, even though he was supposed to be in a fight to the death.

"Unfortunately I do Sting." replied Rogue as he took a wide stance.

"Why did you say unfortunately?" asked Sting as he did the same thing as Rogue.

"Because we've failed every single time that we've tried to do this before." mumbled Rogue, which caused Sting to start laughing.

"Did I just hear that correctly?" asked Tenelth in sheer shock.

"Yep, so you two are going to be the first ones to feel the might of Fairy Tail's Twin Dragon Slayers!" declared Sting with a big smile.

"You definitely didn't need to tell them that, and I have told you that calling us that makes it sound like we are actually twins." said Rogue after letting out a sigh.

"But it sounds awesome." cheered Sting, while giving Rogue a grin that actually caused Rogue to have his own.

"You two humans are incredibly stupid to use an untested move against us." declared Cenolth as she glared at the two and was then startled by both of the slayers magic spiking higher than ever before.

"What is going on?" asked Tenelth who also notice the increase in their magic power.

"We are not just humans as you two keep calling us." said Rogue who had shadows swirling around him.

"We're Dragon Slayers." said Sting who had white light that was almost blinding swirling around him.

"Dragon slayers as young as you two shouldn't be able to achieve this amount of power." declared Tenelth who was completely thrown off by this show of power from the two kids in front of him.

"We're not just normal dragon slayers." stated Sting with a smirk.

"Then what are you?" asked Cenolth.

"We're third generation dragon slayers." stated Rogue who had a smirk just like Sting as both of them started to suck in large amounts of air.

"You two can't be seriously trying to do a unison raid with your elements." stated Tenelth in complete disbelief at what the two slayers were trying to do.

"They are polar opposites, it's impossible to pull off." said Cenolth, who realized along with Tenelth that the two slayers weren't going to stop from attempting this crazy plan. So they both unleashed their roars, water and Ice which complemented each other perfectly and resulted in everything in the path of their dual roar being completely frozen solid. The roar made its way towards Sting and Rogue at a startling speed, but right before it would have frozen the two solid they unleashed their own roars.

 **"HOLY SHADOW DRAGON'S DEVASTATING ROAR!"** shouted Sting and Rogue as both of their roars collided together only a foot away from them. The roars instantly started to twirl around each other as they then connected with the drakes' dual roar only an additional five feet away from the two boys.

Their roar was slowly losing ground and being pushed back to the two slayers who were both giving it everything that they both had. It was now only a yard away when their roar turned into a purplish color and started to push back the drakes roar at an alarming rate. Tenelth and Cenolth were completely surprised by this so they both put more into their own roars, and were shocked to see it didn't have any affect against the twin dragon slayers roar.

And right before it would have hit them both Tenelth jumped in front of the roar to take the full blast of the roar. Once it hit Tenelth a giant explosion as big as a three block radius originated from his position, Sting and Rogue were both thrown back by the explosion and fell to the ground ten blocks away no longer moving.

"Tenelth, where are you?" asked Cenolth as she drug herself out of a building that she was blown into. She was now severely wounded even after Tenelth taking the main force of the unison raid of the two dragon slayers.

"I'm right here." choked out Tenelth while lying in the center of a huge crater. And just from seeing him Cenolth could tell that he didn't have much time left, which caused her magic to spike at the sight of her mate dying.

"I'll kill those two little slayers if it costs me my own life." growled Cenolth as she started to sniff the air trying to locate the two of them so she could end them right now.

"No you need to leave Cenolth, another slayer that is stronger than those two before they did that weird thing is on its way here right now." wheezed Tenelth.

"Then I'll just kill him too." growled Cenolth.

"You can't Cenolth; you're too injured right now. Retreat now so you can keep on living." said Tenelth as he looked up at his mate.

"I can't leave you here to die." said Cenolth as she rested her head on Tenelth.

"I'm already dead, but you can keep living if you leave right now." said Tenelth as he coughed up some blood.

"Then this is where I die too." stated Cenolth with as sad smile as she nuzzled up against Tenelth while lying down next to him.

"You can't Cenolth." Tenelth tried to shout but only came out in a wheeze.

"Mate's for life and even after." replied Cenolth as she closed her eyes, trying to enjoy the last moments with her mate.

"I could never tell you what to do." said Tenelth with a quiet chuckle.

"And you still can't." said Cenolth with a small grin.

 **With Utlear and Cobra:**

"You dragon slayers are pathetic, why can't you guys handle transportation?" asked Ultear angrily as she helped Cobra through the streets of Magnolia finding it odd to not hear any fighting.

"Shut up." grunted Cobra who was still a little sick. But that was forgotten when he and Ultear were blasted away by a huge gust of wind as Sting and Rogue's attack could be seen going off in the distance.

"What the hell was that?" asked Ultear scared by the sheer power of the attack as she picked herself off of the ground.

"Those two idiots actually tried that in a real fight." stated Cobra as he got up.

"That was Sting and Rogue?" asked Ultear as she watched Cobra sniff the air while holding one hand to his ear.

"Yep, and it would appear that they have finally successfully pulled off a unison raid. Even after me and Salamander told them that is was almost impossible considering their elements." said Cobra as he then took off down a street.

"Those two are going to get a huge lecture for trying something so risky and stupid in a fight with two drakes." said Ultear angrily.

"Don't waste your time; the only one that'll be listening is Rogue. And I can almost guarantee that this was all Sting's idea, that hyper active hatchling is never going to listen to anyone but Salamander. So just have Salamander do it, even then we only have a fifty percent chance of that brat listening." said Cobra with a little grin.

"Oh he'll definitely be listening this time." declared Ultear who then stopped dead in her tracks as they rounded the corner. There in the middle of the streets covered in some rubble were both Sting and Rouge, neither of them moving at all.

"They're both still alive, so don't start panicking yet." said Cobra as he removed some of the ruble that was on or around Sting.

"Can you tell how badly they're injured?" asked Ultear as she did the same for Rogue.

"As far as I can tell they both probably only have a few broken bones, but they are both almost completely out of magic. It's probably the reason that they are both knocked out right now." stated Cobra as he got up and headed towards where the explosion took place.

"Where are you going Cobra?" asked Ultear who wanted to follow him but couldn't leave Sting and Rogue by themselves on the streets.

"To finish what those two started, and don't worry I'll be fine by myself. It'll only take a minute and then we can get everyone out of the bunkers and get some treatment for those two." replied Cobra as he continued walking away from them until he came upon the two drakes in the middle of the crater.

"Hello Slayer." said Cenolth.

"I'm sorry that it had to end this way." replied Cobra with a frown.

"It's how most of us go out, we drakes have never been fans of dying peacefully in our sleep." stated Cenolth.

"I wouldn't mind going out that way." responded Cobra.

"I truly doubt that you will have that pleasure slayer, you'll probably die just like we did today." said Cenolth.

"Going down fighting is how I have always expected my journey to end." stated Cobra with a smirk.

"Well if that that does happen, I hope you don't have to watch your mate die before you." replied Cenolth as she finally looked at Cobra who was behind her.

"I don't have a mate." said Cobra while looking into the eyes of Cenolth.

"Everyone has a mate slayer, and I think you might have even met yours already." stated Cenolth with a sad smile, as Cobra remained silent because he had nothing to say to that.

"You should get to it then, so I can meet him in the afterlife." said Cenolth as she turned away from Cobra and looked down at the dead body of Tenelth while having a fond smile.

"I hope you get to meet him there." said Cobra as he coated his right hand in poison while coming up behind Cenolth.

"I know that he's already waiting for me." said Cenolth with a smile as Cobra stabbed her heart with a swift stab, thanks to one of the wounds that Sting or Rogue gave Cenolth earlier in their fight.

"No wonder Salamander despises this part of the job." said Cobra with a frown as he headed back towards Ultear so that they could let everyone out of the bunkers.

 **With Warren's Team:**

"Is that all you have humans?" asked the drake as he looked at most of the mages from Quatro Cerberus spread across the field no longer able to continue the fight for numerous reasons.

"Hell no it isn't!" shouted Bacchus as he raised his bloody fists into the air while staring down the drake.

"And you think that you stand a chance by yourself human? I will admit that I am impressed with what you've been able to do to my armor with nothing but your bare fists and determination. But you know that those two things alone won't get you through life." said the drake with a grin. Because even after the mages started to focus on certain points they weren't able to completely break through his armor. They did get close which really impressed the drake, since no normal human has ever been able to do that to him before.

"He's not alone." said Max standing to the right of Bacchus in surprisingly an okay condition. Unlike Nab and Warren who also standing behind Bacchus ready to keep battling with the only mage left standing from Quatro Cerberus.

"HAHAHAHAHA you Fairies are wild." said Bacchus with a grin spread across his lips.

"Natsu told us to distract the drake as long as we could, which is exactly what we're going to do until he or one of the other dragon slayers comes to help us out." said Warren with a confident grin.

"That idiot is probably going to make some sort of grand entrance like he usually does." stated Max with a smile, now wondering what Natsu would do.

"I would happily accept that any time now." said Bacchus as he could see all of his injured guild members scattered all over. Hoping that they were just injured and not dead, which is an actual possibility after some of the hits a few of them received while attacking the drake.

"You four humans have impressed me with your determination to keep fighting, when most would have turned tail and run for the hills. So I will tell you my name as long as you tell me more about this person you think is going to come in and save the day." offered the drake who was only doing all of this because Morenth ordered him to.

"He's our strongest dragon slayer, who went to deal with the four drakes that stuck together." replied Warren, who was willing to do almost anything to prevent the drake from attacking. All in the hopes that Natsu or someone else would help them out of this terrible situation.

"My name is Inioth humans and I am sorry to inform you that your friend is already dead if he tried to take that group on by himself." said Inioth with a visible frown.

"Natsu isn't dead, he's the strongest fire mage in all of Fiore." shouted Nab as he winced in pain because of his broken arm.

"A fire dragon slayer, then he's definitely dead by now. Morenth has taken on every fire drake dumb enough to challenge him and come out the undisputed victor every time." said Inioth while shaking his head at the memories of Morenth destroying some young fire drakes that were trying to make a name for themselves by challenging Morenth.

"I can guarantee that Natsu defeated Morenth." declared Warren with a smirk.

"And I can guarantee the exact opposite." replied Inioth as he glared at Warren.

"Then why don't we wait and see who's right." suggested Max.

"I am fine with that." stated Warren.

"I can see that you are just trying to buy yourself some more time humans. But I truly don't get much enjoyment out of any of this like most drakes do, so I will agree to wait another hour to see if a winner will make themselves known to us. And if any of you four try to escape during this time I will squish you into nothing but a thin paste." said Inioth as he laid down in front of them.

"You are not at all what I expected a drake to be like." stated Baccus as he sat down in front of Inioth.

"And you would be correct to not think that other drakes are like me. They are all more likely closer to what you initially expected me to be like." replied Inioth as he closed his eyes.

"And what would that be like?" asked Nab as he started to make himself a sling for his arm.

"Most drakes would appear to only live for the next big fight that they can find, while also enjoying the chaos that they leave in their wake. The tougher the opponent the better, because like I said earlier most drakes usually love a good challenge. It proves that they are stronger than anyone else thought they were if they are victorious." answered Inioth.

"Sounds like how Natsu used to be until recently." stated Max who had to help Nab with making his sling.

"That's the dragon slayer you were talking about earlier right?" asked Inioth.

"Yes it is." replied Max while looking at the drake that still had its eyes closed as if it was just taking a nap.

"Makes sense that he would be like that then, especially when considering that he has some of the other characteristics that a dragon has. Like being fiercely loyal and protective of whoever he considers his family, so much so that he would appear to not care if he dies while fighting for them." said Inioth, which shocked the mages of Fairy Tail because it described Natsu perfectly.

"You just described Natsu almost perfectly." said Nab in disbelief.

"He displays all of that?" asked Inioth as he opened one of his eyes to look at them.

"Yes he does, except for he no longer is fighting anyone he can like he used to and causing damage for fun." answered Warren, who was hoping that Inioth would elaborate more on this.

"And when did he stop doing both of those things" asked Inioth.

"After he fought a dragon and couldn't prevent our friends from disappearing." replied Warren, because that was when he noticed that something changed in Natsu. That after thinking about Warren realized that no one would have found this change in Natsu odd considering what he just went through at that time.

"I was going to say after his second drake kill." said Nab.

"Interesting." said Inioth after making a weird humming noise.

"Could you please explain Inioth?" asked Warren.

"Well it makes sense that he would no longer get as much enjoyment out of fighting with normal humans. Especially after going up against a real dragon and a few drakes, because those are fights where he might die if he makes a simple mistake. Do you happen to know the name of the dragon that raised him?" asked Inioth as he once closed his eye.

"His father is Igneel." said Max, which caused Inioth's eyes to shoot open and stare directly at them.

"Igneel the Fire Dragon King?" asked Inioth with a little fear in his eyes.

"That's the one that Natus always said raised him when he was a little boy." answered Warren, who could swear that he could still see the fear now in Inioth's eyes.

"That explains why you all have such faith in him. While also explains why he displays those other traits I mentioned earlier because Igneel displayed them as well." said Inioth while now growing a little concerned for Morenth.

"Did you know Igneel?" asked Max, knowing that Natsu would love to learn about his father if he could.

"I never met him, but I like all drakes know of his strength and power which made him the undisputed Fire King. I have heard plenty of stories about him to know that I don't want to be his enemy, because those don't last long but I am now done talking with you humans." answered Inioth as he closed his eyes again and they remained quiet. All wondering who was going to show up if anyone did at all.

 **With Jet's team:**

"DROY!" screamed Laki at the top of her lungs.

Laki could only stand there as the purple drake let out its victory roar after taking out Droy, wondering why it all turned out this way. Then a thought came into Laki's mind, which was that all of this was only happening because of Sabretooth not helping them. This made Laki seethe with rage and decided right then and there that if she made it out of this she was going to pay Sabretooth a visit and didn't care what the consequences were.

"You're going to pay for that drake." growled Laki as she glared at the drake that apparently could hear her statement. The drake just looked at her with a grin as it made its way towards her, intent on taking down its second wizard of the day. Laki just stood there glaring at the drake as it came closer and still didn't move when the drake was now in striking distance.

The drake let out a little growl right before it lunged forward and sunk its teeth into Laki. But it was confused when rather than getting the taste of blood like it expected the drake now tasted wood as Laki's body exploded into pieces of wood.

"Come on drake I thought you guys were supposed to be smart." taunted Laki form a building behind the drake. This caused the drake to twirl around with a growl and glare at Laki ready to rip her apart just like a few of the humans that lived here before. The others all succumbed to his poison which should have been happening to this mage and that other one that was zipping around the place.

Rather than dwelling on what should be happening the drake decided to enjoy playing with this woman that was dumb enough to taunt him. So once again the drake lunged at the girl, this time going for a slash that had the same results of her exploding and sending splinters everywhere. This infuriated the drake immensely because he could have sworn that it was her, but thanks to all of the flowers everywhere he could just barely get her sent and even when he did it lead directly to the wooden fakes of her.

"Wrong again my stupid overgrown gecko." said Laki form a few buildings to the right of the drake. The drake let out a deep growl and was going to attack again when he felt something hit his left leg, right at the joint of it. And when he inspected it he was shocked to see a deep scratch in his scales, which shouldn't have been possible since these were just lowly humans that he was up against.

"Hey Laki, I have everyone evacuated so I decided to join in on the fun." said Jet as he appeared on the top of a roof.

"This bastard of a drake killed Droy." growled Laki as she continued to not move an inch.

"What are you talking about Laki, Droy's not dead. If he was then none of his plants would still be here, unfortunately he did sustain a serious injury before I came in and saved his sorry ass. So now he's only going to be giving us support like he already is." said Jet with a big smile that was soon lost as the drake used them talking to each other to get right next to Laki and bite down on her head.

Jet was about to scream out her name and charge in there and seek revenge, but was shocked to see her body explode into splinters from the attack. The drake let out a furious roar as it took out its rage on the building that it thought Laki was standing on. Jet realized what Laki was doing and decided that he would help her out with keeping this drake distracted while they waited for reinforcements to come. This would of course include him taking any attacks that he was positive that he could make without getting caught.

"That's the best news I have heard all day." said Laki with another one of her dolls appearing on a roof.

"Well I am glad that I could tell you that Laki, but it would appear that our friend here isn't too fond of me either." said Jet right before a claw slammed down where he used to be standing. The drake was clearly getting frustrated by all of this, which could easily be seen by the poison leaking out of him that fortunately Droy's flowers were absorbing before it could even affect either of mages from Fairy Tail.

"This one's got quite the temper doesn't he Jet?" asked Laki.

"That he does." replied Jet standing in one of the streets to the side of the drake.

The drake slowly looked in between the two of them and really couldn't decide which one it wanted to rip apart first. So in a split second decision the drake lunged at the woman who had the audacity to taunt him, as if he was her equal. But just like all of the times before, the woman's body turned out to be nothing but a wooden doll solely designed to trick her opponents into think it was actually her.

So for the next few hours this continued on. Laki was constantly making dolls and taunting the drake into attacking them after he got tired of trying to catch Jet. Who would be constantly zipping around the place and attacking the drake whenever he saw an opening. But as the battle ran on Jet was lucky to realize just in the nick of time that the drake was now expecting this and started to leave openings on purpose all with the goal of slicing him in half.

That almost happened but luckily for Jet only resulted with him getting three long cuts going from his right hip all the way up to his left shoulder. That took Jet out of the fight for a little bit but luckily for them there were still enough buildings for Laki to move through and keep the drake distracted with her dolls springing up everywhere. But that was now no longer becoming an option since there where only a few more buildings left standing in the town of Aster right now.

"How long have we been fighting?" asked Jet while dodging a few of the drakes slashes.

"For all I know it could have been a full day now or only ten minutes." replied Laki as the drake stopped attacking Jet and let out a roar of frustration again.

"What the hell is going on here?" asked the drake, which shocked the other two because he had never spoken during this whole time.

"I would have to say that you are trying to kill the two of us, while we on the other hand are doing everything in our powers to not let that happen. Oh and it has at least been a few hours Laki because the sun is starting to set." answered Jet with a smirk. Now extremely grateful that they all have been training for something like this to happen for over a year now, because he knows that is the only reason he, Laki and Droy are still standing right now.

"Good point Jet." replied Laki with a grin as she held the long cut she had on her right arm. That she received from the drake when she didn't retreat fast enough form on of her dolls that she made.

"I know that boy and we've been battling for more than four hours, not that I would call this an actual fight. What I was meaning to ask is how the fuck are you two not being affected by my poison at all? Also why can't I pin either of your scents down and how are the two of you able to keep moving around for so long? Most mages would have been too tired to fight a few hours ago." stated the drake while glaring at the two of them.

"Oh that would be all thanks to our friend that you tried to kill earlier." answered Jet with a smirk that he kept even as he dodged the drake trying to slice him in half.

"You know that isn't the answer I want human!" shouted the drake.

"It's the flowers that are everywhere drake. They are making your poison useless and also making it hard for you to smell anything else but them. As for why we aren't giving up yet, that is all thanks to our friend who has been training us in case a day like today would happen." said Laki with a big grin, which was completely fake because she didn't know if she could last another ten minutes.

"Quite the impressive for a human to be able to get other puny humans to actually keep a drake like me busy for this long." stated the drake as he licked his teeth while staring at the two of them.

"He isn't just a normal human drake, he is a dragon slayer that has already killed eleven of your kind all by himself." declared Jet, hoping to startle the drake. But it only seemed to excite the drake even more.

"Interesting, he must be the one that Morenth wanted to take down. And if that happens then supposedly this country is ours for the taking." said the purple drake while chuckling.

"I think that we are proof that it won't be as easy as that. Also I don't think our friend Natsu will be taken down anytime soon." said Laki with a confident grin, knowing that Natsu wouldn't go down until he at least saw the return of the Tenrou group.

"You two are very confident in this Natsu of yours, but I don't see him anywhere which means that he's probably already dead." said the drake with a sinister grin getting ready to commence attacking the two of them again. That is until a large amount of magic and killing intent could be felt coming from the direction of the town that was about three miles north of here. And when the drake looked towards it there was a huge pillar of fire in the sky that he instantly could tell didn't belong to any of the fire drakes in his pack.

"What the hell is doing that?" asked the drake as a roar could then be heard originating from the pillar of fire.

"That would be Natsu and he sounds pissed." answered Laki with a huge smile on her face. Now knowing she and Jet would be fine because Natsu once again came just when they needed him the most.

"And I assume you knows what happens when you make a dragon angry." said Jet also having a big smile on his face. As the drake heard all of this and felt the source of that magic and killing intent coming his way all he knew was that he didn't want to be anywhere near that monster. So he started to back away from them trying to figure out what was best way to get out of here.

"Are you running away now drake, I thought no human could match you and your kind?" asked Laki enjoying the fear clearly displayed on the drake's face.

"Whatever that thing is it's not human, and I am not going to stay here and find out whatever that monster truly is." stated the drake.

"That is a little too late drake." said Jet as he pointed to the area behind the drake. The drake looked over his shoulder and could only see the outlines of a human that had claws for hands and red eyes that were staring directly at him through the smoke and fire swirling around the figures body.

"This is where you die drake." said the new figure in a deep voice while standing there and glaring at the drake before him.

 **End of Chapter**

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Thanks for reading everyone and I hope you all enjoyed this chapter of Master Dragneel. So that is seven drakes down and only three more go in the next chapter, which will also include Natsu confronting Sabretooth and more specifically Jiemma. Now I was hoping that this chapter showed that not all of the drakes are the same, because that would be boring if that was the case. So as always feel free to leave me a review or ask me a question about the story and I will try to respond back as soon as possible.**

 **Until the next Chapter**

 **Digem Out!**


	17. Aftermath of The Storm

Ch 17: Aftermath of the Storm

 **With Kagura's team:**

As she slowly regained consciousness all she could feel was her entire body protesting against any movement she might try and make. The next thing she noticed was that someone was lightly shaking her while quietly crying and begging for her to just wake up.

"Meredy you have to wake up, you can't die like this." said Kagura while sobbing into the shoulder of Meredy that she was hugging right now, while rocking back and forth.

"I would never be able to look at anyone in the guild if you died because of me not being strong enough." choked out Kagura while trying to not cry anymore.

"Then let go of me before I run out of breath." whispered Meredy who was finding it hard to breathe right now.

"Oh my god Meredy you're still alive, I thought that you died." said Kagura now crying tears of joy while hugging Meredy harder than she was before.

"Not for long." wheezed Meredy who was instantly let out of Kagura's hug.

"I am so sorry Meredy." apologized Kagura with a slight smile.

"It's fine Kagura, I am happy to see that you seem to be fine as well even after taking a hit like that from the drake." said Meredy with a small smile since she was in too much pain to do much more.

"It's thanks to this drake scale vest Natsu gave all of us to wear under our normal outfits." stated Kagura as she pointed to the white scales that could now be seen through the cuts in her blazer.

"I completely forgot that I was wearing this thing." stated Meredy and looked down at her own red vest that could be seen through the cuts in her dress.

"Well I am positive that they both were big factors in both of us not being dead yet." replied Kagura with a small grin.

"Oh my god where's Kei?" asked Meredy who then noticed Kagura's grin turn to a frown.

"She's somewhat battling the drake right now." answered Kagura as she looked away from Meredy. This was when Meredy finally started to listen to what was happening in the distance, and what she heard didn't make sense to her at all. There were the normal sounds of battle, but one of the things that stuck out to her were the roars of pain coming from the drake that was easily taking on all three of them before. But what the weirdest thing for her to hear was the crazed laugh of some female that seemed to be inflicting the pain on the drake.

"Is Natsu here helping her?" asked Meredy, thinking that was the only explanation of the drake being on the receiving end of a painful beat down.

"Natsu unfortunately hasn't shown up yet, but I really hope he does soon." replied Kagura with a concerned look in her eyes.

"Then who is beating the drake right now?" asked Meredy now confused.

"That's all Kei's doing." answered Kagura.

"But how?" asked Meredy in complete shock that Kei was beating a drake all by herself.

"It's her magic and she either lost control or actually gave up control of herself." said Kagura thinking back to the last time that happened. Luckily Natsu was there that time and he was just barely able to bring Kei back to her senses. It resulted in Kei getting back control of her body and not knowing that she had almost wounded Kagura and Natsu severely moments earlier.

"How do you know all of this Kagura, Ultear and Natsu told Kei that she wasn't ready to do that yet?" asked Meredy as looked at Kagura who wouldn't look at her in the eyes and didn't respond back.

"This has happened before hasn't it?" asked Meredy and saw a slight flinch from Kagura before she started to shake her head no.

"This is what happened that one day that you and Natsu won't ever talk about." stated Meredy knowing that she had finally figured it out.

"Yes Meredy but you can't tell anyone about it, because like Natsu said to the rest of you that day. Kei is finally feeling like she belongs with us and is no longer trying to be alone. So you can't tell anyone about this happening today or about the other incident." said Kagura as she glared at Meredy, demanding that she agree to this.

"Of course Kagura, I would never do anything like that to Kei." said Meredy as she tried to get up but fell over.

"Here let me help you." said Kagura as she offered Meredy a hand.

"Thanks Kagura, but what are we going to do?" asked Meredy as had an arm around Kagura for support.

"Get out of her way and hope that Natsu gets here soon." stated Kagura with a frown as she started to lead Meredy to Mermaid Heel's guild hall.

 **With Ares and Kei:**

"Oh come on Valstrath, you are not even putting up a very good fight anymore." taunted Ares while twirling her golden lance around. The drake wasn't able to respond because of the broken jaw that she received from Ares, which was the least of her concerns since she could barely move anything else of hers.

"Well I guess this is what you get when you are only going up against a drake." said Ares as she stuck her spear into the ground right next to Valstrath's head.

"Do you know who I really want to see again Valstrath?" asked Ares with a devious grin, knowing that Valstrath couldn't respond in her current state.

"That Slayer who has been helping this girl since she joined his guild, I think his name is Salamander or maybe Natsu. I couldn't really care what his actual name is but there is a man that can fight, I would almost say that he fights at the level of an actual god of war." stated Ares as she leaned against her lance stuck in the ground, while smiling down at Valstrath.

"You know I am finding our conversation right now a lot more enjoyable now that you can't actually speak for yourself Valstrath. Because before all you were doing was growling and saying such terrible things about humans, which I find funny since humans are some of the creatures that have the most potential in my opinion." said Ares as she admired her handy work on the downed drake in front of her.

"Now I know that you would be disagreeing with me on this, but it's true Valstrath. And I know that hearing that right now is probably making your blood boil, but if I didn't do this to you than you would have probably died a much worse death at the hands of that dragon slayer." said Ares with a smile that looked slightly off.

"Oh I bet you are denying that right now, but you would once again be wrong Valstrath. Just like you drakes seem to be about most things in life, well except for finding fighting as the best thing one can do with themselves. But as I was saying this slayer would have probably burnt you alive if you killed any of the girls that you were fighting." explained Ares as she got off of her lance.

"So in a way you should probably be thanking me for doing this to you Valstrath. Because he would have probably gone to great lengths to make sure that you would have suffered for killing them." said Ares as she pointed her lance at Valstrath's eye ready to finish the drake off.

"Ares that's enough." shouted Natsu as he came towards them.

"Hello Salamander, I think that is your name. I was hoping that you would show up." said Ares as she turned to look at Natsu.

"I wish that I could say the same Ares." replied Natsu as he intently watched every move that Ares made.

"Hey that hurts Salamander, and all I did was help your friends who were about to die." said Ares with a hurt expression on her face, that Natsu didn't believe for a second.

"Sure it was Ares, is that what you were trying to do when you nearly killed me and Kagura last time?" asked Natsu not taking his eyes off of Ares for a second.

"No that time I was just testing you, and might I say that I am very impressed with you Salamander." replied Ares now having a creepy grin on her face.

"Thanks I guess, so if you were indeed just helping this time. Do you think that you could give control back to Kei so I can make sure that she's okay?" asked Natsu, while still not letting his guard down.

"But then I wouldn't be able to talk with you Salamander." replied Ares in a sweet voice.

"And why in the world would you want to do that Ares?" asked Natsu raising an eyebrow.

"Simple answer Salamander and that is because you intrigue me. And from what I have seen, you are an exceptional fighter that only seems to be increasing in his skills in the art of war." replied Ares as she took off her helmet.

"I wouldn't mind talking with you Ares, but I have other friends out there that are fighting for their lives as we speak. So I assume you can see why I want to wrap this up as soon as possible." said Natsu.

"Indeed I can Salamander, so how about we reschedule this conversation for a later date." suggested Ares with a sly grin.

"That sounds good to me." replied Natsu with a small grin.

"I expect you to keep your end of this deal Salamander, otherwise things might start going badly for Kei." said Ares as she glared at Natsu.

"I am a man of my word Ares, so I promise that we will definitely talk again. As long as you promise to return control back over to Kei afterwards." stated Natsu as he glared back at Ares.

"Of course Salamander, because like I said earlier I am only trying to help. And since I am tied to Kei here, I don't want to be fighting her for control all the time. I would much rather have a friendly relationship with her and you of course Salamander." responded Ares as she purred Natsu's moniker.

"That's what I would like to have too Ares, so we'll be talking later. Probably as soon as I can get Kei to not be afraid of giving you control, which might take a while." said Natsu with a straight face.

"Don't worry Salamander, take all the time you need. But remember I know everything she does and more, so it would be unwise to cross me. That won't be a problem for a man like you now would it Salamander? Well until next time then." stated Ares. And right after she said that all of the armor vanished and Kei started to fall over but was caught by Natsu before she hit the ground.

"What the hell was all of that Natsu?" asked Doranbolt as he came up to the slayer now that Ares was gone.

"Something that you would be wise to pretend that you never saw Doranbolt. Because you know how much I despise people I can't trust, especially when I have things under control." stated Natsu as he laid Kei gently onto the ground.

"I don't know if I would call that under control Natsu, but no need to worry about me telling another soul. Frankly I don't think anyone would even believe me even if I did tell them." replied Doranbolt with a grin.

"I would suggest you to not try and figure out if you are correct about that Doranbolt." said Natsu as he drew Dragon's remorse and headed towards the barely alive drake.

"Didn't plan on it Natsu." said Doranbolt as he took a big gulp, remembering that Natsu was definitely someone he didn't want to have as an enemy. That could easily happen because of his past actions towards Fairy Tail, that Natsu was luckily kind enough to forgive in order for them to fight off the drakes better.

"May you enjoy peace in the afterlife Valstrath." said Natsu before he ended her life with a quick stab through the eye.

"Doranbolt after you drop me off at the next one I want you to inform the Council that they are not to touch any of the bodies. I could make some threats about what I would do if they went against my wishes on this, but that would be pointless after what just happened today." stated Natsu as he removed Valstrath blood from Dragon's Remorse.

"Where are we heading to next Natsu?" asked Doranbolt.

"That would be Warren's group because they didn't have any S-Class mages. But first I need to drop her off with Meredy and Kagura." said Natsu as he picked Kei up as gently as possible.

"I could take you both there in a second if you wanted to Natsu." offered Doranbolt with a faint smile, because of how easy it was to see that Natsu truly cared for the girl in his arms.

"No need to Doranbolt, because I don't want to wear you out since I still would like to check on the last group of three after the next one." replied Natsu as they made their way towards Mermaid Heel.

"I should be able to do that even if I took you two to the guild." stated Doranbolt.

"I know you probably can Doranbolt, but I would rather not risk it if we don't have to." said Natsu.

"Fine, but aren't you concerned about the two groups of two? And didn't you leave those two boys to deal with two drake by themselves?" asked Doranbolt.

"Nope, Ultear and Cobra were dropped off at Lamia Scale like I wanted you to. So the most logical decision for them to do once they were finished with their drake was to head back to Magnolia. And as for Sting and Rogue those two will be able to keep their drakes busy, especially since they have the home advantage." replied Natsu with a grin.

"They have home advantage?" asked Doranbolt, wondering what Natsu meant by that.

"Yes Doranbolt, those two have been living in Magnolia for almost a full year now. And since both of them are still young, that means they have been getting into trouble throughout the town whenever I am not watching them. That also means they probably know all of the quickest routes and shortcuts in the town. And throw in the fact that I gave them a free pass to destroy the town, those drakes are going to have a really hard time keeping those two pinned long enough to actually hurt them." explained Natsu, while thinking to himself that is what he was hoping for at least.

"Damn Natsu, you actually thought all of that up right after learning about the drakes splitting up like they did?" asked Doranbolt in complete disbelief.

"Nope, it was one of the many scenarios that I have been planning for during these past few months." answered Natsu as they came to the front of the guild hall of Mermaid Hell, where Kagura and Meredy were both waiting for him.

"Natsu!" shouted both of them as they ran to him.

"Hey you two, glad to see you both walking around." said Natsu with a grin.

"Natsu I am so sorry for letting this all happen." apologized Kagura with her head down.

"Kagura you have nothing to apologize for, you all did great. And I would love to stay and chat but Doranbolt and I have to go check on the other two groups." said Natsu as he passed Kei off to Kagura.

"Okay Natsu, but still be careful." said Meredy with a smile as Natsu walked back over to Doranbolt.

"Come on Meredy, when have I ever not done that?" asked Natsu with a smug grin spread across his face.

"Only like always Natsu!" shouted Meredy at Natsu's comment, which only caused the dragon slayer to start chuckling right before he and Doranbolt disappeared.

"He did that on purpose." stated Meredy as she glared at where Natsu used to be standing at.

"Yes he did Meredy because he knew that you would get upset about it." replied Kagura with a grin as the doors to Mermaid Heel opened up and a few of their members rushed out.

"Where did Natsu go?" asked Millianna as she came up to the mages of Fairy Tail.

"Off to fight a few more drakes." stated Meredy, who was still upset with Natsu.

"Rats I really wanted to talk with him." said Millianna with a frown.

"Then you should swing by Magnolia sometime, because he is usually in the area. And I am confident that he would love to catch back up with you Millianna." suggested Kagura, hoping that she would take her up on this offer so that she could talk with her about the tower.

"I might have to take you up on that offer." replied Millianna with a smile.

"I take it that Natsu is no longer here with us Millianna?" asked the Master of Mermaid Heel as she came over to them.

"Nope, he's off to go save someone else." answered Millianna with even a bigger smile.

"I really wanted to thank him along with you three." stated the Master as she looked at Meredy and Kagura.

"There's no need for that, we were only doing our jobs." said Kagura.

"Sorry Kagura but I have to disagree with you on that, you all went above and beyond what was required of you. You all risked your lives in order to protect my town and even my mages." stated the Master.

"We only did what Natsu asked us to do." replied Meredy with a small grin.

"And you three deserve to be rewarded for it." said the Master with a small smile.

"There really isn't any need for that, but if you really feel the need then just send it to the guild. Because we really should be heading back to our guild to let everyone else know that we're okay and see if we're needed elsewhere." said Kagura as politely as possible.

"Fine, but at least let us give you a lift to Magnolia." said the Master of Mermaid Heel.

"We would really appreciate that." stated Meredy with her usual smile.

 **With Warren's team:**

"It looks like we won't know who the winner is." stated Inioth as he started to stretch.

"Well I am ready for round two." said Bacchus as he got into his fighting stance.

"Shit I was really hoping that Natsu would make it in time." said Max as he helped Nab up onto his feet.

"Why not just leave us alone drake, you don't seem to want to do any of this at all?" asked Warren hoping that he could stall for a little longer.

During the last hour all of the other mages were evacuated from the area, and the four of them couldn't because of the agreement that they made with Inioth. So now it was pretty much a guaranteed slaughter if this fight started again, because even though Bacchus didn't say anything Warren knew that both of man's fists were broken. But somehow the man was still ready to go up against this drake if it meant that he might save some of his guild members.

"I would if I could human, but I have to do as Morenth commanded me to do." said Inioth as he had a somewhat sad expression as he started to charge up a roar.

"What if Morenth is dead?" asked Doranbolt who appeared right next to the other four. The sudden appearance and question were just enough to stop Inioth from unleashing his roar on them.

"Well human that would mean that I am a free drake again and can do as I want." replied Inioth as he inspected the new human.

"Then that is what you are drake, because I saw with my own two eyes that he's dead." stated Doranbolt while walking closer to the drake.

"Sorry human but I find that really hard to believe, I would need some sort of proof that he's dead." stated Inioth after smelling Doranbolt for Morenth's scent which he didn't have on him. Like he would have if the human helped in killing his Alpha, which would have given more credit to what he was claiming.

"You are probably going to really regret saying that drake." stated Doranbolt as he started to back away from the drake. And once he got to the other four he got them to start backing away from the drake as well.

"Are you trying to run away from me human?" asked Inioth, because if that was what the human was doing he wasn't going about it in a smart way at all. It would have been a whole lot smarter to scatter rather than group up where he could easily smash them with one of his hands.

"Not at all drake, I am not dumb enough to think that these four could escape you in their condition." replied Doranbolt with a little grin.

"Then what the hell are you doing human?" asked Inioth, who was very intrigued by this new human.

"I am getting out of the way of that proof you wanted." stated Doranbolt as he continued to back up with the other four who were all just as confused as Inioth about what was going on.

"Where is this proof you speak of human?" asked Inioth, now thinking that this was some sort of trick.

"It'll be here in a second." answered Doranbolt.

"I don't see anyone coming." stated Inioth as he scanned a full three hundred and sixty degrees around him.

"You forgot two different spots to look." said Doranbolt. Inioth looked down to see nothing out of the ordinary and when he started to look up he realized that it was already too late for him to do anything judging from the heat he was now feeling.

 **"FIRE DRAGON'S METEOR STRIKE!"** shouted Natsu as he slammed into the base of Inioth's neck. This caused Inioth to be launched straight into the ground, while everyone heard the drake let out a pain filled roar that was also accompanied with the sounds of rocks shattering. But that wasn't the only thing to happen, because right from Natsu's location came a huge explosion of fire that made Inioth's already pain filled roar only increase in intensity.

The five mages closest to the drake besides Natsu were still blown back by the attack, and when they looked up they couldn't see anything for a few moments because of the dust brought up by the attack.

"Thanks for keeping him distracted guys." said Natsu as he walked out of the dust cloud that was finally settling down right now. This revealed to all of them that Inioth was now on the ground and not moving anymore from what they could see.

"That is what I call wild." stated Bacchus with a huge grin on his face as Natsu made his way to them. And from what Bacchus could see Natsu had most definitely been put through the wringer today if his clothes were any indication of how he was feeling. They were all covered in soot and blood, while also now being slightly tattered but overall still serving their main purpose.

"You killed him, with one attack!" stated Nab in complete disbelief that Natsu was really that strong. Natsu was about to say something, but was cut off by Max.

"He just needed proof that you beat Morenth, you didn't need to kill him." said Max as he looked at the downed drake. But he was surprised when Warren, Doranbolt and Natsu all started to laugh together right after that.

"What the hell are you three laughing at?" asked Max.

"Sorry Max, but the attack that I just did was incredibly strong. But it was by no means strong enough to kill a drake in one shot; it did however immobilize the drake so I could then finish the job. But killing a drake it definitely isn't capable of doing just yet." explained Natsu with his usual grin.

"So Inioth is still alive?" asked Nab with a slight bit of hope in his voice.

"Yea the tough son of a bitch didn't even get knocked out by that attack." said Natsu loudly, which resulted in them all hearing a deep growl coming from Inioth's direction.

"Watch yourself slayer." said Inioth as his eyes opened so that he could glare at Natsu.

"Take it easy Inioth I am only messing with you. I am actually really excited that you aren't going to make me kill you like all of the other drakes before you." said Natsu with a big smile.

"Then why the fuck did you attack him like that?" asked Bacchus who thought he was going to be watching Natsu deliver the finishing blow soon.

"It was the only way that I would ever believe his claims of killing Morenth, even with the scent of Morenth's blood all over him wouldn't have been enough." said Inioth how was now no longer glaring at Natsu. All of the mages besides Doranbolt were a little surprised by this answer, since they all thought the blood should have been enough.

"Don't worry about it too much guys, it's a draconic thing. The only thing that we ever seem to all understand is power, which I have just showed to Inioth here that I have enough to back up my claim of killing Morenth and the rest with him." explained Natsu with his usual grin.

"I think I can also smell the blood of Valstrath on you as well." said Inioth still not moving at all.

"That would be true Inioth and I am pretty sure that three more of your pack are already dead." stated Natsu, which caused the four other mages to start smiling because that meant they were almost completely done with this pack of drakes.

"I would expect nothing less since Morenth fell today, it's also the way that most drakes and dragons want to go out. Fighting a good fight all the way to the very end is what most of them want as their way of departing from this world." replied Inioth with a sad smile.

"I can kind of understand that." said Natsu also having a sad smile.

"HAHAHAHA you are a very unique Slayer." said Inioth while chuckling to himself.

"Why do all of you drakes keep telling me that?" asked Natsu as he looked at Inioth.

"Because you are Slayer." replied Inioth.

"It's Natsu Dragneel." interrupted Natsu.

"As I was saying Natsu you are different from what most slayers are like. You for some reason don't want to kill us like all of those before you, who wanted nothing more than to increase their power. I can see that you are not trying to seek out power for your own personal gain or even at all. All you care about is protecting what you care about which is probably the best thing that you got from Igneel. Because like I said earlier you aren't like most slayers who are only concerned about themselves." explained Inioth with a smile.

"Thanks Inioth and do you happen to know…" said Natsu with a faint smile.

"Sorry Natsu but I don't know much about Igneel, only the stories that I can guarantee you already know." said Inioth while cutting Natsu off before he could finish his question.

"I really hoped that you might know something about him. So I have never actually done this with another drake as you already know Inioth. So what are we going to do?" asked Natsu with a smirk.

"Simple Natsu, I will go out on my own and never harm a human in your territory again." stated Inioth.

"Does that mean you aren't going back to where ever you drakes originally came from?" asked Warren.

"Yes human, because if I did that I would become an outcast for losing like this. That is probably another reason that other drakes haven't taken you up on this offer Natsu." said Inioth with a grin.

"Are you just going to go over to a different country and start terrorizing them?" asked Natsu as he glared at Inioth.

"HAHAHAHA I don't plan on interacting with humans for as long as possible Natsu. But I am not going to let them attack me and not be punished for being foolish enough to do that. I plan to try and find a nice and secluded spot where I can enjoy the simpler things in life." stated Inioth with a small smile.

"That sounds nice Inioth, I hope you can find such a place." said Natsu having a fond smile as he started to imagine himself just taking off and doing something similar. But then all of the people he cared for sprung up in his mind, which let Natsu know right then and there that he would never be able to do anything like that in his life.

"Me too Natsu, me too." said Inioth with a sad smile, knowing that finding such a place was going to be really hard to accomplish.

"Well I know that the government here is going to hate me for saying this Inioth, but feel free to swing by and visit if you want to." said Natsu with one of his famous grins directed at Inioth.

"HAHAHA you just do whatever you feel like don't you Natsu?" asked Inioth while grinning back at Natsu.

"Of course Inioth, I am the son of Igneel." declared Natsu while still grinning at Inioth.

"I know that Igneel is proud of you Natsu, and any other dragon would be proud to call you their own." stated Inioth as he moved his head slightly.

"Looks like you are finally getting some movement back." stated Natsu.

"And with that slight movement comes a lot of pain." replied Inioth as he glared at Natsu.

"HAHAHAHAHA quit your complaining you big baby." taunted Natsu and only got Inioth to start growling at him.

"Natsu what happened to your left hand and arm?" asked Warren extremely concerned at what he saw, which was slight burn marks now covering them.

"Oh this, I got that from fighting Morenth." replied Natsu nonchalantly.

"But I thought that you couldn't be burned." stated Nab who was now staring at the burns.

"I can't from fire, but lava is a different story which I happened to learn today. That stuff I am only very resistant to, which is why I don't have burns all over me. But since I had to attack Morenth, this arm received more interaction with the lava than anything else of mine." explained Natsu with a grin as he inspected the burns that were still giving him some pain. But it was nothing compared to other injuries that he was forced to fight through, because who knows what would have happened to him or Fairy Tail if he couldn't fight through a little pain.

"Natsu I think we should go check on the last one, since the sun is starting to set." suggested Doranbolt, who was guessing that Natsu might have forgotten about the last drake. Because he was excited that he didn't have to kill Inioth, which gave him a lot of hope that more might soon follow after Inioth's footsteps.

"Shit I totally forgot, hey you guys will be fine if we take off?" asked Natsu as she turned to his guild mates.

"Of course they will Salamander, you are all honorary members of our guild after what you did for us today." declared Bacchus as he slung an arm around Warren.

"Thanks Bacchus and I guess I will see you guys at the guild later. Oh and Bacchus we need to have a fight sometime, I want to see how I stack up against the man that tied with Erza." said Natsu who then disappeared with Doranbolt before Bacchus could even respond.

"HAHAHAHA you can count on that Salamander." chuckled Bacchus.

"So what do we tell your guild?" asked Max.

"We tell them that Inioth here is now our friend and will be leaving as soon as he is able to. And don't rush yourself big guy." said Bacchus as he gave Inioth a sly grin.

"Today has been a day that I will never forget." said Inioth.

"The same for us." agreed Nab.

"Well let's all go and get patched up." said Bacchus as he then started head to his guild with the others following after him.

"I can see why some of the dragons fought to protect humans after what I witnessed today." thought Inioth to himself as he closed his eyes with a grin on his face.

 **At Sabretooth:**

"Master I really don't think this is a joke, especially after all of those people from Aster started to come back through the flower." said one of the members of Sabretooth who wanted to help out Fairy Tail right away. But didn't because he was afraid of Jiemma and what he might do to him, and that was a few hours ago and the Fairy Tail mages still hadn't come back yet.

"That might be true, but it's none of our business now." replied Jiemma who was annoyed that he and his mages had to help some of the refugees that just showed up at their doors.

"How can you say that Master, those mages from Fairy Tail still haven't returned yet?" asked a different member.

"It's because they're from Fairy Tail that it's none of our business." replied Jiemma with a grin, causing some of his members mouths to drop. Because this was a whole new level of hatred for Jiemma, for him to actually sit back and not help when he knew that they were fighting for their lives.

"Dad they're right, we need to help them out otherwise they might die." stated Minerva hoping that he might listen to her.

"Minerva do I need to give you another reminder of what happens when you go against me?" asked Jiemma as he glared at his daughter.

"No, but you have to see that this is completely wrong. They came here to warn us when they didn't have to, even after we just laughed at them. They then went out there to protect the citizens of Aster when it should have been our responsibility!" shouted Minerva, knowing full well that she would probably pay dearly for this outburst. But she didn't care anymore because even she knew that what they were doing right now was completely wrong.

"Minerva!" growled Jiemma as he got up and slowly made his way over towards his daughter.

"Minerva's right Master." said a few members as they now stood in front of Minerva. No longer going to let what happened earlier today happen again when it would be totally out of line for Jiemma to do that. Especially when the entire guild knew that Minerva was right about this.

"Are you all going against your Master?" asked Jiemma in a deep tone as he glared at his members standing in between him and his daughter.

"No we aren't Master, but we will not let you hit Minerva when she is only stating her opinion. That the rest of us agree with, and are confident that the entire guild is with us on this one." said one of the members as he gestured to their little group.

"I see, then I am ordering that we will not help any Fairy Tail mage. Any mage that does will be kicked out of the guild, just like I said when they first left." replied Jiemma with a grin.

"Why are you doing this Master?" asked one of the mages that stood up for Minerva.

"Simple, because I am tired of those Fairy Tail mages thinking they are the best. I honestly thought that we would be rid of them after the Tenrou group died, but that damn Salamander is keeping them relevant somehow. But I can't wait to see him realize that because of him, some of his precious family died because he sent them here." shouted Jiemma so that the whole guild could hear. It left them completely speechless, and then they all started to sweat because it got extremely hot in a matter of second.

"Jiemma if any of them died I am going to come back here and rip that fucking head right off of your body." growled Natsu standing in the doorway that was on fire because of the intense heat coming off of the dragon slayer. Jiemma was startled by Natsu's sudden appearance but was able to recover quickly.

"That is a threat that could easily get you into trouble with the Council." stated Jiemma with a smug grin.

"HAHAHAHAHA that wasn't a threat Jiemma, it is a promise that I will keep if any of them died because of your incompetence at being an actual Master. Oh and do you really think I give a fuck about the Council, I will gladly send your head to them with a note saying that this is what happens to anyone that fucks with Fairy Tail." shouted Natsu as smoke and fire started to swirl around him.

"I will not be talked to like that in my own guild." shouted Jiemma as he walked towards Natsu. But once he was about ten feet away he had to stop because of the heat, and soon as he did Natsu let out a roar as a pillar of fire shot up around him. It completely ruined the front side of the guild as it continued to burn with the shadowed figure of Natsu standing inside of it.

By this time everyone but Jiemma where on the other side of the guild completely terrified of Natsu who was emitting so much power and killing intent that half of the guild had already passed out. The pillar of fire continued to burn as Natsu stepped out of it towards Jiemma who was frozen solid in fear. And the remaining members of Sabertooth were now shocked by his appearance which was Natsu now in his stage two form of Dragon Force.

"I have to go Jiemma, but you would be wise to remember that there is always someone stronger than you out there. Oh and you better pray to whatever you believe in that they are completely fine, because I will be coming back to have a few more words with you. And every little scratch that they received because of you not helping them will be dealt to you or one of your mages." growled Natsu now only an inch away from Jiemma, who skin was starting to blister because of the heat Natsu was emitting.

And the next second Natsu was gone, leaving behind a terrified guild Master and guild. With the front of their guild hall completely destroyed and actually on fire, which none of them even made a move to try and put out because they were still too scared to move. All of them praying that the other mages of Fairy Tail were fine so that they wouldn't have to watch their Master be killed in front of them.

 **With Jet's team:**

"This is where you die drake." said Natsu as he saw one of the few things that he could actually let all of his frustration out on without any serious consequences. Yes Natsu was relieved to find out that all three of his friends were still alive, but he could instantly tell that they wouldn't have been that way if he was five minutes later. And that made him even angrier at Jiemma, who he probably would have actually killed if any of them died because of the stupid man's hatred for Fairy Tail.

The drake jumped into the air hoping to take flight and get out of here while he still could, which for a brief second he thought would work. That is until a flame and smoke covered elbow connected with the top of his head and launched him into the ground. And as the drake was trying to get up from the ground Natsu dropped down on him, while delivering a kick covered in both of the same elements causing the drake to roar out in pain.

"You are a very unfortunate drake; you are the last remaining drake of your pack. I usually would have offered you a chance to leave with your life. But after what you did to my friends and the people of this town that offer was never going to be given to you." shouted Natsu as he punched and clawed the drake that was doing its best to block or dodge the attacks.

"But here is why you are really unfortunate drake. Before I came here to deal with you I ran into probably the one human that I hate the most in the world and had to listen to him say that some of my other friends are dead. Oh and I really don't like that, but he even went into new territories of hatred that I didn't even know I had. He said that he hoped that you killed some of my friends here while all he did was sit back and do nothing and not even let some of his members go and help if they even wanted to." shouted Natsu as he continued to savagely attack the drake not realizing that they were no longer in the town of Aster anymore.

"I don't give a fuck about that Slayer, but you were foolish to take this fight outside of those flowers that were making my poison useless." growled the drake that had already been giving off poison as soon as they were away from those flowers.

"And I don't give a fuck about your fucking weak ass poison!" shouted Natsu as he kicked the drake hard enough to actually put some distance between them.

"Now you're fucked!" shouted the drake right before he unleashed his poison roar onto Natsu.

"Is this supposed to hurt?" asked Natsu from inside of the roar. This startled the purple drake, who decided to give it all he had as he increased his roar.

"Now we're talking drake. It has finally started to make contact with my actual skin now, but unfortunately I have a friend who as an ability like that. And that made me figure out how to not let his poisons ever affect my body again." stated Natsu still inside of the drakes roar. The purple drake stopped his roar expecting to see Natsu starting to succumb to his poison.

"Did you think that I was lying to you drake?" asked Natsu standing there completely fine.

"Yes I did Slayer." replied the drake now really starting to panic because his poison had no effect on this man.

"Well I didn't drake and now let's get back to me ending your pitiful life." said Natsu with a sinister grin as he turned into smoke and faded away.

"What the fucking hell?" asked the drake as he tried to find out where Natsu went.

"I'll be taking these." stated Natsu as he slashed at the base of the drakes wings, causing the drake to roar out in pain. But that was only the start of what Natsu had planned for the drake; he continued to attack the wings until they both were completely taken off of the drake. Who was now in incredible pain thanks to Natsu's smoke that burned any of his open wounds.

"Stop, I'll do anything if you just stop attacking." begged the drake who knew from the beginning that he was no match for this monster before him.

"You have nothing I want drake, well except for being something I can let my anger out on." stated Natsu as he looked at the severely wounded drake in front of him.

"I could tell you more about the drake culture." suggested the drake.

"I already have a more reliable source than you drake." replied Natsu as he glared at the drake that was actually cowering before him.

"Then how about being an informant for you." said the drake.

"That wouldn't work for numerous reasons drake, the first being you don't have your wings anymore. The second is that you will be considered an outcast after your defeat here today." said Natsu as he inspected the drake as he got closer.

"That is true, but I can still be of use to you slayer." stated the drake as it watched Natsu continue on his path towards him.

"Yes you can drake, but it requires you being dead." replied Natsu with a grin. The drake decided that his only option was to hope that Natsu's guard was lowered enough for him to land a fatal blow. So as Natsu took another step closer the drake lunged at him trying to bite his head off, but Natsu sidestepped out of the way and stuck his right arm into the drake thanks to an earlier wound.

 **"FIRE DRAGON'S SMOLDERING INFERNO!"** whispered Natsu as the drake roared out in pain as Natsu continued to send both of his elements directly into the drake.

"I know that this is the most pain you have ever been in drake, since I know what it's like to have a foreign magic coursing through your body. As the body tries to adapt or get rid of the invading magic, but with our type of magic that can't happen. So right now you're slowly dying from the inside out because your body can't absorb it or get rid of it as fast as I am pumping it into you." said Natsu while still sending his fire and smoke into the drake that was on the ground almost instantly after Natsu started this.

"Can you do something for me slayer?" asked the drake as it clenched its teeth in pain.

"And what would that be drake?" asked Natsu as he started to wipe the blood off of his hand.

"Could you do me the honor of remembering my name?" asked the drake still clearly in tons of pain.

"Why not drake." replied Natsu as he took Dragon's remorse off of his back.

"Perenth." stated the drake through clenched teeth.

"So long Perenth." said Natsu as he slashed open the drake's throat with his sword on fire. And then he watched as Perenth bled to death in a matter of seconds, which then allowed him to go about his usual routine of getting rid of the body. After he was done with that gruesome job he had calmed down quite a lot, considering he was literally ready to kill a man less than an hour ago. So Natsu made his way back to his friends who were all gathered by the flower that Droy still had open at the command of Natsu.

"What the hell was that Natsu?" asked Jet who hadn't seen Natsu use stage two form of Dragon Force until today. Actually he had never seen Natsu use Dragon Force period.

"That was me just letting out some anger on a drake that pissed me off." replied Natsu with a faint grin.

"Natsu you know that isn't what he meant." stated Laki as she glared at him.

"Fine, that is one of my forms of Dragon Force which enhances most of my combat skills." answered Natsu after letting out a long sigh.

"I didn't know you could so something like that.' stated Droy with a smirk.

"You aren't freaked out about how I look during it?" asked Natsu as he looked at the three of them, trying to see if they were lying to him.

"Well when you first came out of my flower I almost shit myself, but once I realized it was you I couldn't help but smile. Also it looks totally badass Natsu." stated Droy with a genuine smile.

"I don't care what you look like Natsu, as long as you stay the same person we have all known since we were little." stated Laki with a little grin.

"I have to agree with Droy on you looking badass in it, but I am more interested in the fact that you now have burns on your left hand and arm." stated Jet, as he had a frown on his face because Natsu isn't supposed to be able to get burns.

"That is something I will tell the whole guild so I don't have to keep repeating it. But what I want to know is since when can you do this Droy?" asked Natsu as he pointed to the flower that allowed them to teleport between Aster and Sabertooth's guild hall.

"They were the seeds that I got while Jet went on that last S-Class job by himself." replied Droy, feeling a little happy that he impressed Natsu.

"That is really handy Droy, how much magic does it take from you?" asked Natsu already coming up with a few uses of these plants if they weren't too demanding on magic consumption.

"Barely any at all after I initially open it up. They are able to get most of the magic to operate from the ground and air around them." answered Jet.

"We are definitely going to have to talk about these plants Droy and what we can do with them." said Natsu with thoughtful expression.

"How are the other groups?" asked Laki, who needed to know.

"The other two groups of three are fine, and I am confident that the other two are safe as well. You three had it the hardest, which reminds me I need to go pay Sabretooth a visit." replied Natsu as he cracked his knuckles as a sinister grin appeared on his face.

"Natsu what are you planning to do?" asked Droy.

"Nothing much Droy, I just plan to deal out some wounds to a few of their members. They'll be almost identical replicas to each wound you three received." stated Natsu as he was about to go through the flower.

"Stop Natsu, you can't do that to them!" shouted Droy as he glared at Natsu.

"The hell I can't Droy, those fucking bastards sat back and let you three fight that drake all by yourselves. And Jiemma was actually hoping that one of you would die, and I also know that the Council will turn a blind eye to this. Actually I could see them punishing Sabretooth for not helping Aster at all." shouted Natsu as his anger came back to him.

"I know that you could do it Natsu, what I mean is that you shouldn't do it." said Droy not afraid of Natsu's tone because he knew it wasn't directed at him.

"Why the hell not?" asked Natsu.

"Because it would be wrong to punish the members of Sabertooth when they were only following their Master's orders." replied Droy.

"Then they should have gone against Jiemma's orders and helped." argued Natsu.

"Natsu, Droy's right on this. You didn't see them, they were all afraid to go against Jiemma's orders. His daughter is one of the few people that actually helped us, but even she is afraid of her own father." said Laki with a frown.

"You also need to remember Natsu that not all guild Masters are like Master Makarov. Actually I would have to guess that more of them are closer to Jiemma and see their guilds like a business and not like a family like we do. So they have no problem with using fear or any other means to get the members to follow orders." said Jet with a frown. Wondering what his life would be like if he didn't join Fairy Tail, which quickly became his second family in less than a week of joining.

"Shit, I didn't even stop to think about any of that." said Natsu as he hung his head.

"Hey it's okay Natsu, we got you to stop and listen before you did anything that you might regret later on." said Laki with a warm smile.

"What's family for, if not to help each other when they need it." said Droy also having a his own smile.

"Thanks guys, but I still have to pay Jiemma a visit." replied Natsu with a serious expression.

"And we will gladly sit back and watch." stated Jet with a smirk.

"Then let's get to it because I have a few more place I have to visit before I go back to the guild." said Natsu right before he entered the flower.

"And where would those places be Natsu?" asked Laki as they appeared in front of Sabertooth guild hall. That the other three could now see had a little remodeling done thanks to Natsu.

"I need to dispose of the other drakes' bodies before the Council starts doing who knows what with them." replied Natsu as they made their way towards the guild hall.

"And when will we be doing that Natsu?" asked Doranbolt walking on the right side of Natsu. Doranbolt once again shocked the other three mages of Fairy Tail because he just appeared out of nowhere and acted like he was there the whole time.

"After I have a little chat with Jiemma." stated Natsu with a grin that made the others a little worried.

"Oh dear god he's back!" shouted a member of Sabretooth as Natsu stood in the exact same spot that he did when he first appeared before them. The rest of Sabretooth became quite in an instant all having fear in their eyes at the mere sight of Natsu.

"First off I would like to apologize about my first visit Sabretooth. I was a little tired and upset after taking out four drakes by myself and then helping with two more afterwards. And as you all already probably know I was extremely concerned about the safety of my fellow members." said Natsu with a smile as he motioned to the other three. All of this surprised the members of Sabretooth who were expecting for the monster to come back and start ripping them to shreds.

"HAHAHAHA don't think that this lame apology will get you off of the hook for what you did Salamander." said Jiemma from his throne.

"Oh I wasn't apologizing to you Jiemma that was only for your members who unfortunately have probably the worst Master in all of Fiore. I am actually betting that there are better dark guild Masters than you." said Natsu with a smirk.

"Why you little piece of shit I will aaahhh!" shouted Jiemma that quickly turned to a scream of pain. The reason that he screamed out in pain was because within a second Natsu was in front of him and delivered a slash with his sword that mimicked what Jet and Droy both have on them. But Jiemma only had one and it wasn't even as deep as the ones that the other two received from the drake.

"You are seriously lucky that my friends decided to talk me down from giving you identical injuries to the ones they received Jiemma. Oh and I would love for you to go to the Council and tell them that I attacked you and your guild, because I would love to hear the reason why you decided to do nothing when the people from Aster needed your help!" said Natsu after kicking Jiemma to the floor. Natsu then put one of his feet on the man's chest while pointing his sword at his throat. Jiemma was about to say something but got cut off by Natsu growling at him.

"You are done talking Jiemma unless you want another cut." growled Natsu as he glared at the man underneath him.

"Now I am going to give you a few rules to follow Jiemma otherwise I think I might have to do to Sabretooth what I did to Twilight Ogre. The first rule is that you and your members will never raise your hands against anyone from Fairy Tail. The second one is that if a member from Fairy Tail comes here again saying they need help with a drake you will drop everything and help. And my final rule for you Jiemma is I honestly don't want to hear you every say anything negative about my guild ever again!" growled Natsu as smoke started to come off of him and drift down to Jiemma. Who upon contact with the smoke felt like it was burning him, but Jiemma wouldn't give Natsu the satisfaction of him making any noise of pain.

"Are you fine with this agreement Jiemma?" asked Natsu as he put more pressure onto Jiemma's chest while also giving off more smoke. Natsu could see Jiemma using all of his willpower to not scream out in pain.

"Jiemma it's only going to get worse until I get what I want." declared Natsu.

"Fine." growled Jiemma between clenched teeth.

"Good to hear Jiemma, and I really hope you don't follow them because I would really like to hear you scream out in pain like you almost did right now." said Natsu as he put his sword away and removed his foot from Jiemma's chest. Jiemma only growled at Natsu and was about to get up but Natsu had other plans.

"Oh and Jiemma here is a reminder so that if this happens again you won't forget about drakes being real." said Natsu as he re-equipped the head of Perenth. And he then let it fall onto Jiemma causing the man to let out a grunt of pain as he was now pinned underneath the large head of the drake.

"Sorry everyone else about all of this and about my behavior when I first came here, like I was saying before Jiemma rudely interrupted me. I want you all to know that I hold no ill will to any of you; it all goes to your terrible Master if you can even call someone that if they just sit back and let others die when there help is needed. Oh and if any of you want to join a guild that actually cares about their members and is willing to help others, than you should come on over to Fairy Tail. We would be more than happy to accept you." stated Natsu with his usual grin, once again shocking everyone there.

"My final parting words for you Jiemma are that if you want someone else to pay for the damages done to your guild hall send the bill to the Council. I am confident that they would be more than happy to pay for the little damage that I caused." said Natsu as he left Sabretooth, who were all shocked by what just happened.

"You really don't like him do you?" asked Doranbolt with a grin.

"Now what would give you that idea Doranbolt?" replied Natsu sarcastically.

"You always have to make a scene don't you." stated Jet with a grin like everyone else with Natsu.

"I honestly don't try to, they just sort of happen." replied Natsu with a sheepish grin.

"Sure Natsu." said Laki in a sarcastic voice.

"I'm serious but I doubt that any of you are going to believe me on that. So I guess I will see you all at the guild then, Doranbolt could you please take us to the next closest one?" asked Natsu who didn't get an answer and just disappeared with Doranbolt.

"Well I guess we should head off to Magnolia then." said Droy with a grin as they all then headed towards the train station.

 **At Magnolia the next day at around noon:**

"Damn, I really didn't think the two of them would actually destroy most of the town." stated Natsu as he and Doranbolt finally arrived at Magnolia.

"You did tell them that you wouldn't be mad if the whole town was gone when you came back as long as they were both alive." replied Doranbolt as he followed Natsu through the destroyed town, towards the final resting place of the last drakes that Natsu needed to dispose of.

"I know, but a good chunk of Magnolia freaked out when I only destroyed a small portion of the town. Those two got rid of half of the town if I had to guess." said Natsu with a little grin.

"Yes they did Natsu, but that was before they knew that you were the only reason they were all still alive. Also it was before any of them knew that Ultear could fix all of their things back to how they were before the attack even happened." pointed out Doranbolt.

"Yeah but that takes a lot out of her when she has to do it to a lot of things, so I would really prefer it if this didn't become a habit with those two." said Natsu as they arrived at the bodies.

"I didn't expect to find them like that." stated Doranbolt.

"They were mates." said Natsu with a frown.

"How the hell did you know that, and you don't need to be worried about me just using my magic to restore things?" asked Ultear as she and Macao came up to the two.

"Last time you worked yourself until you almost passed out Ultear, so of course I am going to be concerned. And I could tell just by them being like that when they died, I am guessing that the second one to die asked to be finished off." stated Natsu still having a frown.

"Natsu how did you know that?" asked Macao now thinking that Natsu might have actually been there.

"My book told me about the two most likely responses to a drake or dragon losing their mate. And we got lucky that the drake went with the peaceful route, otherwise it could have been really messy." said Natsu while shaking his head, until he started to get hit over and over again by Ultear.

"Don't ever do something as stupid as that again." said Ultear as she continued to hit Natsu lightly.

"Which part Ultear, there were a lot of stupid things that I did yesterday." replied Natsu with a sly grin.

"You know exactly what I am talking about Natsu." said Ultear while now glaring at him.

"Sorry Ultear, but I honestly did a few things yesterday that could have made you this mad." stated Natsu still grinning.

"I am talking about taking on four drakes by yourself, and what other things did you do that might make me angry?" asked Ultear as she continued to glare at him.

"It was the only way Ultear, and I was able to get it so that they would take turns fighting me. As for the other things that I did I think that it would be a smart idea to tell them in front of the whole guild." replied Natsu as he took his sword off of his back ready to get to work.

"Natsu what in the world happened to your left arm and hand?" asked Macao with a completely shocked expression.

"I'll tell you with the rest of the guild, and I think the two of you might not want to be here while I dispose of the bodies." said Natsu as he continued to the bodies with a frown on his face.

"Okay Natsu, so we'll see you shortly at the guild." said Ultear with a faint smile, since she now knew that Natsu was definitely fine.

"You can come too Doranbolt, without you I think today would have been a very sad day." stated Macao with a frown.

"Thanks Master Macao, but it was really all of Natsu's doing." replied Doranbolt as the three of them headed towards the guild hall.

"Doranbolt, yes you aren't actually fighting the drakes. But thanks to you we were all able to be there in a matter of minutes rather than hours, which it would have been without you. And that was all before you were somehow able to still take Natsu to do the cleanup of the remaining drakes." explained Macao as he looked at the member of the Council that was pretty much a member of his guild.

"I know that, but I still couldn't prevent what happened to Linnea or Aster." stated Doranbolt with a frown.

"Yes you couldn't Doranbolt, but thanks to you that didn't happen another four times like it would have if you weren't with us." pointed out Macao as they just made it back to the guild hall. That surprisingly was still in really good condition, and upon entering it Doranbolt realized that it was full of a few of the townspeople. Who were either thanking some random member of the guild or asking what they could do to help, so in other words it was chaos which is what Fairy Tail is used to.

"Where's Natsu?" asked Meredy, which got most of the people in the guild become completely quiet. Most of them wanting to hear the answer to Meredy's question for numerous reasons, but the main one was wondering if Natsu as fine.

"Don't worry Meredy, he's fine and is only disposing of the remaining two bodies right now. And he'll be here as soon as he's done with that, at least that's what he told us." answered Ultear now realizing that Natsu might try and make a break for it, knowing that he was going to have to answer a lot of questions.

"He'll be here everybody so don't start doing something stupid." shouted Macao, wanting to try and keep the guild calm.

"Good, because Salamander has to hear all about Rogue and my battle yesterday." said Sting happily while bandaged up with two more casts.

"I need to have a few words with him first, and if you don't stop moving around like I told you to brat. I'll have to sedate you so that you get the rest I told you to get." stated Porlyusica as she glared at Sting who surprisingly was afraid of her and listened to what she said.

"He's actually in pretty good condition Porlyusica." said Macao with a grin.

"But they aren't, and you two were the ones to send them out there to face off against drakes." replied Porlyusica quietly as she motioned to all of the attack teams that had all just been treated by her. Most of them had some pretty serious injuries that were going to take some time to fully recover from.

"Sorry Porlyusica but it had to be done, otherwise who knows how many people would have died." stated Macao with a proud grin as he looked at all of his members. Incredibly proud that they all came back with just injuries like he and Natsu told them to.

"I was honestly hoping that this guild would calm down with Makarov and the rest of that group going missing. But it would only appear that it's only gotten even crazier." said Porlyusica as she waited to treat her last patient of the day.

"Oh come on Porlyusica, you knew that we could carry on just as if Makarov was still here." said Natsu with his usual grin as he stood in the doorway in his tattered clothes.

"Natsu!" cheered almost everyone in the guild at the sight of him.

"Hey everyone, great to be back and I want to say ow hey why in the world are you hitting me?" said Natsu as he was all of a sudden being attacked by an older lady who was starting to have grey in her hair. Her outfit mainly consisted of very elaborate leather that was all specifically made for her, which was a getup that you would most likely wear on some sort of secret mission where you want to remain hidden.

"You ruined them after all of the hard work we put into them." shouted the lady as she continued to hit Natsu where ever he would let her.

"HAHAHAHA oh is that all this is about, I was really worried there for a second." replied Natsu while chuckling.

"Well you should be Natsu, because I don't know if I am going to make you anymore of them." stated the Lady no longer hitting him but giving him a deadly glare.

"Okay Bianca, I am sorry that your clothing was only reduced to this state after me dealing with more than five drakes." said Natsu with a smug grin.

"You should be Natsu, I thought that they were going to last you for at least a few years." stated the woman now identified as Bianca as she started to inspect Natsu's clothes.

"I did to Bianca, but we knew that they might get torn since drake's claws are really sharp. Also we didn't really count for lava when we went about fireproofing them." said Natsu as he had his arms over his head so Bianca could inspect everything. The guild was shocked by all of this, because most of them had never seen Bianca before. And those that had have only seen her as a kind elderly lady, not someone that would go around hitting Natsu and lecturing him like a mother.

"I guess this means that we are going to have to try that one idea we had earlier. And Cid plans to stop by and check on all of his weapons once he's done helping out some of the people in his neighborhood." said Bianca as she was now tapping her chin in thought at what to do with Natsu's next pair of clothes.

"Well I have some new material, oh and how did the other gear hold up?" asked Natsu as he looked at the women that he had given vests to, seeing that most of them were in bandages.

"They did a lot better than yours, but that is probably because they were designed to be armor. Not clothing like you wanted with all of yours." replied Bianca as she sent Natsu a quick glare that he just chuckled at.

"We've been over this already Bianca; I need to have absolutely no restrictions in the clothing that I wear. And if I started to wear some of the stuff that you wanted then I would be." stated Natsu with a smile.

"Yes I know which is why I am trying to come up with some things or certain pieces that you could wear that wouldn't change that." said Bianca as she inspected Natsu one more time.

"Natsu!" said Porlyusica in a tone that would have made anyone else run for the hills.

"Yes Porlyusica?" asked Natsu while grinning at her like an idiot.

"Let me inspect you so I can get away from this place." stated Porlyusica, who hated how crowded the guild was right now.

"Alright, sorry Bianca but I have to go get inspected by another old lady." said Natsu who was then getting hit by both of the women.

"We aren't old you shitty little brat." said both of them as they continued to hit him.

"HAHAHAHAHA of course you two aren't, I mean look at you two right now." chuckled Natsu as he kept getting hit by them.

"I am out of here." declared Bianca as she turned and left.

"Please remove most of your gear so I can get a better look." stated Porlyusica.

"Shouldn't we be doing this in the infirmary?" asked Natsu as he did what he was told.

"Yes, but I want to get out of here as soon as possible. Besides they have all seen you in less Natsu, you used to just run around in a vest." replied Porlyusica.

"Good point." said Natsu who was only in his pants right now.

"The only thing that I see any purpose of me treating you for is those burns that I assume you got from lava if I heard you correctly." stated Porlyusica with an eyebrow raised and waiting for a response.

"That they are, but that was after prolonged direct contact with it." stated Natsu who was then hit in the back of the head by Ultear.

"And why would you do something that stupid?" asked Ultear.

"Because the drake had lava covering it and even had it on the inside of it as well. So I really didn't have a choice on this one Ultear, and see I knew that you would get mad at some of the other things I did yesterday." said Natsu while rubbing the back of his head with a faint grin.

"You need to start telling me about everything that happened." demanded Ultear.

"Can it wait until after she is done?" asked Natsu.

"I already am Natsu, just apply this to the burn once a day and it should get rid of the pain." said Porlyusica as she handed him a container and then left without another word.

"The one time I wanted her to throw me into the infirmary." stated Natsu with a grin as Ultear gave him an extremely angry glare.

"Fine, I'll tell you all what exactly happened." said Natsu after letting out a long sigh and then proceeded to tell them about the events of the previous day. And he told them exactly what happened until he got to the point where he came upon Ares, that part he came up with another fight that was really easy to do since the drakes all had a similar fighting style.

"Wow." replied a few of the people after Natsu finished his tale.

"Well it seems like training for the Grand Magic Games is going to have to wait until you all get better. Unless we decide to drop out because of everyone being hurt." stated Natsu with a smug grin.

"Not happening Natsu." declared Macao as he gave the dragon slayer a glare.

"So Natsu what was the important question you had for Ultear?" asked Meredy with a devious grin.

"Oh yea I almost forgot about that." chuckled Natsu.

"So what is it Natsu?" asked Ultear nervously, which surprised a few of the people gathered around them.

"Ultear I was wondering if you would want to go out with me?" asked Natsu with a faint blush.

"I would really love that Natsu." replied Ultear as she came up to him and gave him a kiss.

"That was it?" asked Jet with a disappointed look.

"Yes it is Jet." said Natsu now glaring at him.

"You two were already going out." stated Kei now confused at what was going on.

"No we weren't." stated Ultear with a faint blush and a smile since she was now officially dating Natsu.

"You two might not have thought you were, but everyone else knew that you were." stated Wakaba with a smirk.

"Well now it's official." said Natsu with a big smile that was lost when someone hit him with some garbage.

"Boo, that isn't anything important at all." shouted Jet with a smirk. Natsu was going to let it slide until a few more members joined Jet with throwing things at Natsu while booing at him.

"That's it." declared Natsu as he let go of Ultear and chased after them as they took of laughing at him. Everyone else just sat back and watched the entertainment of Natsu being his old self that unfortunately doesn't show up as much as some would have liked. But no one could blame Natsu for no longer being the idiot that used to always get into fights, especially when they were the ones to start to rely on him so heavily.

"It's good to see that he can still cut loose." stated Macao while taking a seat next to Ultear.

"I always knew that he could, but he wouldn't do that until the drakes finally made an appearance." replied Ultear with a smile on her face while she watched Natsu messing around with his friends and family. All of them acting like they all didn't almost died the day before.

"When do you think we'll have to deal with another pack of drakes?" asked Macao, who was concerned to learn that there were drakes monitoring Natsu at least. And after what just happened there was a really good chance that the whole guild would now be watched by the drakes more closely.

"Probably not for a few months at least if at all, since they are pretty rare. I think it's more likely for us to encounter multiple pairs showing up at the same time. And I wouldn't be surprised if Magnolia doesn't start getting more attention from them." answered Ultear.

"Natsu was already thinking that, which is why he's going to start talking to the Mayor about a few more things to helpfully protect the citizens." said Doranbolt, which shocked the other two since he pretty much didn't say a word since he showed up with Natsu a few hours ago.

"He is always thinking ahead now, the Tenrou group would all be startled by that alone." stated Macao with a grin.

"You know that he's always been doing that Master Macao, he just didn't share it with anyone else before." said Ultear still watching her boyfriend having the time of his life. Her smile grew even bigger at the thought that she could actually call him her boyfriend.

"That he has, which is why I am surprised that he did all of that to Jiemma. I honestly don't think that will end too well for us." said Macao with a frown.

"Master Macao, you weren't there. If Jiemma has any sort of a brain still in that head of his he'll do exactly as Natsu told him to. Because Natsu was literally going to kill him if any of them had died because of Sabretooth not helping. And I am also certain that he would have also sent it straight to the Council like he said he would." stated Doranbolt with a slightly scared expression on his face just from the memory.

"And that would have ended really badly for us." said Macao.

"Yes and no." said Doranbolt.

"How could it not have ended badly for us, Natsu would have been classified as a dark mage for doing that?" asked Macao as he looked at Doranbolt in complete disbelief.

"Yes if the Council wanted to make a real enemy out of Natsu, which after what just happened is the last thing they would have wanted to do. If Natsu would have done that he would definitely become why more feared than he already is. But most of the public would have been able to sympathize with him about his friends dying because of Jiemma sitting back and letting Aster get destroyed. And the Council couldn't lose a mage that single handedly took on four drakes by himself in case something like this ever happened again." explained Doranbolt.

"You are making it sound like Natsu is now untouchable by the Council." stated Macao.

"That is kind of true Master Macao. Especially when the public is on his side, which is probably going to stay that way for as long as the drakes keep coming. Even afterwards Natsu would have to do something really bad to get them to turn on him." said Doranbolt with a grin.

"Do you know if Natsu knows about this?" asked Ultear, concerned that it could change Natsu.

"Honestly I don't think he does, but if he does he definitely doesn't care since he has always done whatever he wants. That was made pretty obvious when he challenged the Council right after returning from Tenrou Island." said Doranbolt with a frown, because he still felt responsible for all of that.

"Natsu has always been more concerned about what his family thinks of him, so I have to agree with Doranbolt on this Ultear. We don't have to be concerned about him getting a big head over this." said Macao with a grin.

"So what are we going to be doing now?" asked Ultear as she looked over at Macao.

"Fix the town of course, and then prepare for the Grand Magic Games." answered Macao with a smile, that came from seeing the guild acting like it used to. Back before the Tenrou group disappeared just over a year and a half ago.

 **End of Chapter**

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed the resolution to the drake pack. So the next chapter is going to be the first GMG and as I think I have said before they are going to be slightly different than what the Tenrou group returns to. So I have it pretty much all planned out already, but I could still use some creative events if any of you had some ideas you wanted to throw my way. As always feel free to drop a review or PM and I will try to respond as soon as possible.**

 **Until the next Chapter**

 **Digem Out!**


	18. New Friends And Old Allies

Ch 18: New Friends And Old Allies

 **One week later in Magnolia:**

"Why are we doing this by hand Salamander, when your mate could have finished it in a matter of seconds?" asked Cobra as he and the other dragon slayers were fixing one of the last few buildings that still needed to be repaired.

"Because I don't want her overworking herself since she already fixed most of Magnolia and all of Aster." replied Natsu as he tossed supplies up to the roof, where Sting was catching them and putting them in their proper places.

"But why are we the only ones doing this Salamander?" asked Sting who still had a few bandages on him.

"The main reason for that is because we are some of the few members that can still actually work." answered Natsu with a grin.

"What about the other members of the guild that didn't fight against any of the drakes Natsu? They could easily help us out with this, or is this your way of punishing us while not actually saying that you are?" asked Rogue who was receiving supplies from Cobra.

"They are all training so that if it does happen again they can hopefully support our members that will be on the front lines. And you caught me Rogue, but I really didn't think that you two would actually almost destroy all of Magnolia like I joked about. Also it's not really that bad, I actually like building things with my own two hands since it's the complete opposite of what I usually do with them." he replied with his usual grin.

"I kind of like it too Salamander!" cheered Sting, who almost fell off of the roof because of it.

"Quit messing around Sting, or I'll push you off next time." said Rogue after pulling Sting away from the edge of the roof.

"Aren't you all the lively bunch this fine morning." said one of the local residents as she came up to their group.

"We are just trying to finish up on the last of the repairs." Natsu replied with a warm smile.

"Oh my, I didn't know that the actual Salamander would be fixing up my store." said the lady who was completely shocked at Natsu being there.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Natsu asked her as he traced his scars on his face.

"Well I thought that the Savior of Fiore wouldn't be wasting his time by fixing up my old store." answered the lady with a smile.

"I would never classify fixing up my hometown as a waste of time ma'am. And I wouldn't call myself the Savior of Fiore, I was only doing what anyone else would have done in my position." stated Natsu with a grin.

"Quit being so modest Salamander, and no not everyone would have done what you did that day. Sabretooth made that clear when they just sat back and did nothing when Aster was attacked, which makes me glad that I live in Magnolia where we have a guild like Fairy Tail protecting us. Also I actually don't know if any other mage could have dealt with six of those drakes by themselves Salamander and even got another one of them to retreat." said the woman as she continued to smile at Natsu.

"How in the world do you know about all of that?" asked Natsu, shocked that she knew all of that.

"HAHAHAHA, I'm glad to see that you are still the same mage that used to get chased all across Magnolia for destroying something. And from that funny expression on your face I take it you haven't been to any of the magazine kiosks lately." said the lady with a bigger smile than before.

"I haven't, and I am sorry to ask this but have we met before?" asked Natsu slightly embarrassed that he might have forgotten her name and face.

"No we haven't Salamander, but I am betting that everyone in Magnolia knows you for some reason or another. I mean just two years ago you were constantly getting into fights with that Ice Mage at your guild for some of the dumbest reasons possible. Or like I said before, you would often be seen running from your own guild members with the biggest smile possible as they chased after you for various reasons." she replied.

"Those were some really fun times." stated Natsu with a fond smile on his face.

"I can only imagine Salamander, but now everyone here thinks of you as one of the protectors of our town who is willing to spend all of his jewels just to make sure that we are safe. And thanks to the articles about your latest encounters with those drakes the rest of Fiore knows about you too and what you are willing to do to save the lives of others." said the lady as she showed him a magazine with him on the cover standing in front of one of the downed drakes and glaring at most likely Morenth.

"Hey lady, he isn't the only one that took on a drake that day!" shouted Sting from the roof.

"Sting!" growled Natsu but stopped when the woman started to laugh at them.

"It's okay Salamander, and don't worry Sting. All of Magnolia knows that the two youngest dragon slayers of Fairy Tail took on two drakes by themselves. That is why all of you slayers are now being referred to as the protectors of Magnolia, since we all know that we can rely on you guys to save us." stated the lady while chuckling to herself about Sting getting so worked up.

"Hell right we are, but I think we need a better name than the protectors of Magnolia." said Sting as he started to pace back and forth on the roof trying to come up with a good name for them.

"Sting, sorry about him." said Natsu while shaking his head.

"No need to apologize Salamander, he's still just a kid which makes what he and Rogue did for us even more incredible. Also if some of the stories that I have heard about your younger years are true, then those two are extremely well behaved." she said while grinning at Natsu.

"HAHAHA yea they aren't really that bad." stated Natsu with a proud grin as he watched Sting excitedly ask Rogue about his opinion on the names that he was coming up with for their group.

"It's probably thanks to him having such a strong and caring teacher, along with being a member of Fairy Tail." she stated.

"Maybe, but can I ask you something ma'am, besides the articles how do you know so much?" asked Natsu as he looked at the owner of the story they were supposed to be fixing right now.

"You have been in your own little world lately haven't you?" she replied while giving him a quick smirk.

"I have been pretty focused on these drakes recently, so I guess I haven't really cared much about anything else that is not Fairy Tail related." said Natsu with a sheepish grin.

"And we are thankful that you were Salamander, because who knows what would have happened if you weren't there for us. But to answer your question, you have been the center of attention after what you did. Most conversations in Magnolia are related to you, and unfortunately for you a lot of them are memories about your past." she explained with a slightly sinister grin.

"Crap, I have to assume that most of those are probably not fond memories. They are most likely of me blowing something up and then running for my life afterwards?" asked Natsu with his face in his hands.

"A lot of them are, but everyone seems to be smiling while telling them since you would eventually come back and pay for the damage that you caused. And they are also usually say how they are surprised to see what you've turned into since then." she answered.

"And what exactly have I turned into?" asked Natsu with an eyebrow raised.

"The Savior of Fiore and an overall good and responsible person." replied the woman with a faint blush.

"He's already got a mate ma'am, oh and Salamander she forgot to say that you might be having a fan club of woman all wanting to get with you pretty soon." said Cobra with a smirk.

"How in the world do you know that Cobra?" asked Natsu as he turned away from the lady that was now extremely embarrassed and red faced.

"I decided to start listening in on some of the conversation going on in Magnolia right now. And the lady is right, they are usually about you and if they are just woman talking they seem to be admiring your new look and as they say that hot body of yours." answered Cobra with a huge grin on his face since he knew that Ultear wasn't going to be a fan of this at all.

"Crap, Ultear isn't going to like this one bit." said Natsu who was now trying to figure out the best way to avoid her wrath.

"No kidding Salmander, I don't know how you aren't afraid of that woman. But then again you're a monster so it makes sense I guess that you would look for someone almost as strong as you." said Cobra while he still was grinning at Natsu.

"You do just realize that you pretty much called my mate a monster?" asked Natsu as he glared at Cobra.

"You know what I meant Salamander." replied Cobra.

"I do, but will she be as understanding as me?" asked Natsu with a big grin.

"Crap, Salamander please don't tell her I said that. Her ice is too cold and she won't hold back since she knows that I can handle a severe beating." begged Cobra no longer grinning at Natsu.

"Fine but that means you won't make this whole situation worse by giving her more detail than she needs to know, like I could tell you were going to do by the grin that you had on your smug face." said Natsu with a smirk.

"Fine, you got yourself a deal Salamander." replied Cobra.

"I can't believe that I have to be the one to point this out, but aren't we supposed to be fixing up this building?" asked Rogue with Sting in the background rubbing a bump on his head and pouting.

"You're right Sting, let's get this done before lunch because Master Macao said we have a few guests showing up today." said Natsu as they went back to work.

"Well I'll let you guys get back to work then." said the woman as she was about to leave.

"Oh before you leave would you mind telling us your name?" asked Natsu with his usual grin.

"It's Leah, and it was a pleasure to finally meat you Natsu Dragneel." said Leah as she left the group of dragon slayers to their work.

 **Fairy Tail at Noon:**

"Weren't they supposed to be here by now?" asked Wakaba as he continued to look at the door waiting for their guests to arrive.

"We agreed that we wouldn't start the actual meeting until one, so calm down Wakaba. None of them are late and even if they are it really isn't anything to get too worked up over." replied Macao before he took another drink from his mug.

"What is this meeting all about Master Macao?" asked Kagura, who like all of the other members that fought the drakes, was still in bandages.

"And who is exactly going to be coming Master Macao?" asked Meredy with her usual smile.

"I was told that a few of the smaller guilds will be sending members that will mainly be here to learn what they need to do to be ready for another drake attack happening near them. But out of the more well-known guilds those that are coming are: Lamia Scale, Blue Pegasus, Mermaid Heel and Quatro Cerberus." answered Macao with a grin.

"If their actual Masters come here then we have almost held an unofficial Masters Meeting at Fairy Tail." said Ultear as she sat down next to Macao since Natsu was nowhere to be seen.

"The guilds that I actually mentioned by name might actually do that, but the others are probably only sending trusted members. And remember everyone, they are our guests so please be on your best behavior otherwise everyone will have to go through a week of Natsu's hell like training." stated Macao as most of the guild gulped at the thought of going through something like that again.

"But we are already going to be going through that Master Macao as soon as we're healed that is." said Kei who was probably the least injured out of the group there.

"True Kei, but I'll have him double if for you guys if the rest of the guild doesn't behave." replied Macao with a grin.

"Okay, if someone screws this up I am going to become your worst nightmare for the next month." threatened Jet as he glared at the rest of the guild.

"Not much of a threat coming from you." said a newer member with a confident smirk.

"You say that now but after not being able to eat anything for hours on end really gets to you." stated Droy with a frown at the memory of Jet doing that to him.

"How the hell could he do that?" asked the same member as before.

"He's the quickest member of Fairy Tail so quite easily and you won't even be able to stop him if you wanted to." said Laki with a grin that caused the member to shy away from her.

"Where is our biggest trouble maker now that Natsu has given up the title?" asked Kinana with a bright smile.

"Stings's out with the other dragon slayers fixing up some of the buildings that Natsu told me not to fix. I think it's Natsu's way of punishing those two for destroying so much, while also teaching them something other than how to fight drakes like he usually is teaching them." answered Ultear with a tender smile.

"Are you thinking about your future kids with Natsu?" asked Meredy in a cheerful tone as came up to Ultear with a big smile.

"I definitely wasn't thinking about that Meredy." replied Ultear with a faint blush as she turned away from the pink head.

"Oh my god Ultear is actually blushing." stated Macao who happened to be in the spot that Ultear turned to.

"Shut up Master Macao!" hissed Ultear as the rest of the guild chuckled at her expense, which was a first for most of them.

"You all seem to be having a good time, but that's to be expected when your guild is the talk of the country. Oh and I mean that as a good thing, and my oh my are all of your mages this beautiful Master Macao?" asked Master Bob as he and the Trimens plus Ichiya entered the guild. The mage that Master Bob happened to be referring to was Jet who was now frozen solid in fear at what the strange man meant by that and the why Bob kept eyeing him.

"I would actually classify Jet as one of the uglier ones." joked Macao as he got up and greeted their guests.

"Oh Master Macao that isn't any way to talk about your own members." replied Master Bob with a grin.

"We value truth above all else here." stated Macao still grinning.

"Since when TM Macao, because I have been telling you since the very beginning that your mustache looks terrible." said Wakaba, causing a few members to snicker at the comment.

"And I keep telling you that it just feels right and I don't care what you think." said Macao as he glared at his best friend.

"Master Makarov would be glad to see that Fairy Tail is as lively as ever. And he would be proud at what you all just accomplished last week, and he wouldn't be the only one that is proud to see Fairy Tail still flourishing after those first few hard months." said Master Bob with a smirk.

"Thanks Master Bob, you and your mages make yourselves at home while we wait for the others to arrive." said Macao with a smile as he and Master Bob made their way to the bar.

"Where is Salamander, I can't smell his manly perfume anywhere?" asked Ichiya as he stood on a table and looked around the guild.

"Did he just say manly?" asked Droy.

"He did, I just hope he's not like Elfman and says it when it doesn't make sense at all." replied Jet quietly.

"Wow the women of Fairy Tail are all quite beautiful." stated Hibiki with an award winning smile.

"They are indeed." replied Ren.

"I'm just happy to be in there presence." said Eve as he sat down next to Meredy.

"Hello there, my names Meredy and I'd like to personally welcome you to Fairy Tail." said Meredy as she smiled back at Eve.

"Hello Meredy, my name is Eve and it's a pleasure to meet you." said Eve.

"Hold it there hot shot, I think I should probably warn you that Natsu is extremely protective of her." stated Warren as he tapped Eve on the shoulder.

"Isn't he that way with everyone in his guild?" asked Hibiki who was now sitting next to Kagura.

"That he is, but he sees her as a little sister figure so it's even more extreme than you might think." replied Warren who was then shocked to see that Eve somehow disappeared from right beside Meredy and was on the other side of the guild shaking.

"I was nothing but a gentleman to her, you all saw that right?" asked Eve clearly scared for his life.

"Yes Eve, now where were we beautiful?" asked Hibiki as he turned back to Kagura.

"I was just about to tell you that Natsu's is my teacher who's been training me since I became a member of Fairy Tail." replied Kagura with a small grin that became bigger as Hibiki instantly made space between them and started to sweat.

"Isn't that wonderful, I think I am going to go meet some other people." mumbled Hibiki as he hightailed it away from her.

"You two are both complete idiots, you should have been paying attention to the most beautiful woman in the room." said Ren while giving Ultear a drink that he made especially for her.

"He doesn't know does he?" asked Kei with a smile that she was trying to hide.

"Not a clue." replied Meredy who was also trying to suppress a smile of her own.

"Why thank you Ren." said Ultear as she took the drink and gave him a smile.

"Anything for you my lady, I am willing to do anything to see that gorgeous smile of yours." replied Ren while giving her a wink.

"I think that the drink will be all, thank you." said Ultear as she took a quick sip of it.

"Are you sure, I would be happy to give you a back massage." offered Ren as he got out from behind the bar.

"Can I tell him?" asked Laki with a big grin.

"Go right ahead." replied Ultear with her own grin.

"What are you two beautiful ladies talking about?" asked Ren.

"You're hitting on Natsu's girlfriend!" shouted Laki as all of Fairy Tail grinned at the mage that instantly went pale white at the hearing this.

"Okay guys that's enough messing around with them, and where did Ichiya go?" asked Macao as he noticed the absence of the strange little man.

"I think he shouted something about Natsu not being able to hide his manly perfume and then took off into the town." answered Droy with a very confused look on his face.

"He'll be fine Master Macao." said Master Bob with a grin as he looked at his three remaining mages in the corner. Who were now too afraid to hit on any of the other women of Fairy Tail, because they didn't want to upset Natsu in the slightest.

"Do you mind me asking what that is all about?" asked Macao as he pointed to the three mages of Blue Pegasus cowering together.

"Have none of you looked at any of the magazines recently or watched any of the news?" asked Bob with a shocked expression.

"I haven't since we have been pretty busy with getting the town back to normal and helping out were ever we can." replied Macao.

"What about everyone else?" asked Bob as he looked at the rest of Fairy Tail.

"Training for most of the day." replied someone with a few more saying the same.

"Helping with the rebuilding of Aster." said a few other members.

"I actually went to where I usually get a copy of Sorcerer's Weekly and a few other magazines but they were all sold out." stated Kei.

"I did too, but the strange thing was that it happened before noon." said Meredy.

"That doesn't really surprise me since what happened last week is what everyone is talking about, and each magazine had something about it. All of them claiming to have information that no one else did, which by the way Hibiki figured out was a complete lie." said Bob with a smile.

"Okay but that really doesn't explain your mages reaction to finding out that Natsu cares about most of the women in Fairy Tail." pointed out Macao.

"I was just about to get to that part Master Macao; you are just as impatient as Makarov. So as I was going to say, someone from Sorcerer's Weekly filmed Natsu's fight with those four drakes with not just one camera but three of them so you're able to see almost everything. And needless to say Macao it makes you really think twice about making an enemy out of Natsu, he was completely covered in blood and gore by the end of it." explained Bob while shaking his head at the video. Because it was a complete miracle in his book that Natsu is still walking around after taking on those four drakes completely by himself.

"It goes along with his job of taking care of them." replied Macao.

"I would agree with you on that Master Macao, but after seeing some of the footage of the other fights. It really shows how strong Natsu is compared to the average mage and how savage he can be when going against an enemy that's made him angry." said Bob as he recalled the footage of Natsu assaulting Morenth over and over again when he was already down. And also the stories that were already going around about how he brutally took care of the drake that attacked Aster and both of his visits to Sabretooth.

"That definitely explains why they are not being their flirtatious selves like they usually are. But they do know that he would never do that to any of them, he might beat the crap out of them if they hurt anyone here. But Natsu would never kill anyone, he actually hates even killing the drakes and is only doing it since they aren't giving him any other option." explained Macao, hoping that not everyone would be afraid of Natsu after seeing that footage of him.

"I already told them that, but you can't blame them for being afraid of possibly upsetting him. And they all know that the easiest way to actually do that would be upsetting one of the people that Natsu cares about." said Bob while shaking his head.

"I guess but I would rather not have Natsu seeing them cowering because of him, even though he hasn't done anything to them yet. So how can we fix that before he returns?" asked Macao as he looked at Bob in the eyes begging for a quick solution.

"Just point out any of the women that Natsu isn't overly protective of." stated Bob with a smile.

"The only ones that come to mind are Laki and Kinana." stated Macao who was then shocked to see the three Blue Pegasus member back to normal and hitting on the girls he just mentioned.

"But I would have liked to warn them that Cobra is protective of Kinana, and honestly Laki scares me more than Natsu ever could. And now that she's been training with him she is even more intimidating and stronger than before." said Macao with a shudder as a pain filled scream came from Hibiki, who was now in one of Laki's weird contraptions.

"Oh my." state Bob as he looked at his poor mage.

"Laki what did I say before they arrived here!" shouted Macao.

"That we should be on our best behavior, which I am Master Macao." replied Laki as she glared at Hibiki who was still in her medieval torture device.

"How the hell is this your best behavior?" asked Macao as he pointed at Hibiki, who was wondering why no one was getting him out of it.

"He was hitting on me Master Macao, which I would have been fine with. But then he put his arm around me without my permission." said Laki as she continued to glare at Hibiki.

"Shit, I didn't think he would be dumb enough to do that. Sorry Master Bob but he's actually extremely lucky that he still has that arm right now." said Macao with a sheepish grin.

"You are like Makarov in more than a few ways Master Macao." said Bob with a grin.

"Master?" asked Hibiki in a pleading voice.

"Sorry Hibiki but we are supposed to be gentlemen, and a true gentleman wouldn't have touched a lady at all without her permission. So now you have to deal with the consequences." replied Bob, causing Hibiki's face to become one of complete horror while Laki's now had a sinister smile.

"I like you Master Bob." declared Laki.

"Thank you Laki and I apologize for his behavior." said Bob before he sat back down at the bar with Macao.

"Only Fairy Tail could have something like this going on in the middle of their guild and not shock anyone that is coming to visit them." said Jura as he entered the guild with a grin as he looked at Hibiki with pity but then walked straight past him.

"He touched Laki didn't he?" asked Lyon as he followed Jura.

"How did you know that?" asked Jet, who was shocked that someone outside of Magnolia and Fairy Tail knew to never touch Laki.

"Grey warned me about it, he also told me about most of you guys as well. He did talk about Natsu a lot, but that was mainly him bitching about how much Natsu annoys him." said Lyon with a sad grin.

"Oh that's right you two used to be students under the same teacher." said Droy with a smile.

"That we did." replied Lyon with a fond smile.

"Where is Natsu by the way?" asked Sherry, who was the last mage that came from Lamia Scale, as she looked around for the pink haired dragon slayer who was usually easy to spot out of a crowd.

"He's out fixing up the town, but why are you interested in his where about?" asked Ultear as she checked Sherry out, sizing up the possible competition. She completely forgot that she knew all about Sherry when they were both on Galuna Island together a few years back.

"I just wanted to ask him something?" replied Sherry as she looked at Ultear and couldn't help but feel like they met before.

"And what would that be Sherry?" asked Ultear as she finally remembered the woman from back then.

"None of your business, whoever you are." replied Sherry as she glared at Ultear who she didn't like for some reason.

"I'm his girlfriend so it is my business Sherry, and the name is Ultear by the way." said Ultear, not noticing the shocked expression that came over Lyon's face at hearing her name and actually seeing how much she looked like Ur.

"Sherry, remember that we are guests, and Master Ooba apologizes about not being able to make it. Something came up at the last moment that required her attention so she sent me in her stead." said Jura as he sat down with Macao and Bob.

"Sorry Jurra." apologized Sherry as she continued to glare at Ultear who was now grinning back at her.

"We're glad that you could at least make it Jura, and we both understand the difficulties of running a guild." replied Macao while shaking his head at all of the paper work that comes with being a guild Master.

"That we do, which is why I decided that nothing would prevent me from coming here and enjoying myself today." stated Bob with a grin.

"So why did you want to speak with Natsu?" asked Ultear with a smug grin, thinking that Sherry might have a thing for him.

"Ultear." stated Macao in a tired tone, since he really didn't think that Ultear of all people would be giving him trouble.

"I'm only asking her a question Master Macao." replied Ultear still having a grin on her face.

"Since I have a feeling that you aren't going to drop this until I tell you, I might as well get it over with. My little cousin is a big fan of Natsu's work and she has been bugging me to see if she can meet him after she figured out that I knew him." said Sherry slightly embarrassed for some reason.

"Natsu would love to Sherry, how old is she?" asked Meredy, excited to possibly be making a new friend in the future.

"She's turning just turned ten this year." replied Sherry with a smile.

"That means she would be younger than those two and Wendy if she was still here." said Wakaba with a sad smile.

"Oh I am sorry, I completely forgot about the Tenrou Group going missing and how Natsu might be reminded of them." apologized Sherry.

"No Sherry, it's not a problem at all. Actually I am pretty sure Natsu would love to meet her even if she does remind him of Wendy, which might cause him to start thinking of her as a little sister like he did with Wendy. And he will probably want to start training her so that she can take care of herself like he's been doing with everyone in the guild lately." said Macao with a big grin.

"Do you really think so?" asked Sherry with a hopeful expression.

"Definitely Sherry, which means you'll be stuck with him if you do happen to bring your cousin to visit him. Because Natsu seems to have a soft spot for women, and can't help but try to make them happy." said Ultear while shaking her head at how Natsu was too kind in her opinion sometimes.

"Chelia will be ecstatic to hear this, and I bet she'll bug him right away to start teaching her." replied Sherry with a happy grin.

"Well from actually being one of his students I can say first hand that he'll be a great teacher." said Kagura.

"I have to agree with Kagura on that one, also look at what Sting and Rogue just accomplished at the age of thirteen." stated Kei with a smile.

"I thought they were fourteen?" asked Meredy as she looked to Ultear for conformation.

"We honestly don't know what age they are Meredy, neither of their dragons told them when their birthdays were. So our best guess is between thirteen and fourteen if you compare them to the other kids in magnolia." answered Ultear.

"Those two are the farthest thing from being normal kids." said Droy with a frown as touched a bruise he received from fighting with the two of them yesterday. It was just a friendly spar that almost turned into an actual fight after some few choice words were exchanged between them.

"I have been wondering Master Macao, where in the world did you find those two. Because if it wasn't for Natsu taking on that many drakes by himself, those two would have been the talk of the country for taking down two of them at such a young age." stated Jura, after he thanked Kinana for getting him a glass of water.

"Is this Jura of the Wizard Saints asking me or is it Jura of Lamia Scale?" asked Macao with a skeptical look.

"How about Jura a friend of Fairy Tail." replied Jura with a slight smile.

"That's what I wanted to hear, and actually I didn't find them Natsu did. Actually it would be more accurate to say that Natsu saved them from the drake that attacked Senna over a year ago. Those two brats were trying to take on the drake by themselves since they couldn't sit back and watch it destroy Senna." said Macao with a proud look on his face.

"Very impressive for kids so young, most would have been too afraid to do anything like that." stated Bob.

"You're forgetting that they were raised by dragons Master Bob." pointed out Ultear.

"I still can't believe they still exist, but since drakes are popping up more often now why not dragons raising kids in the wild. Also why is it that all dragon slayers seem to end up at Fairy Tail?" asked Bob as he looked at Macao suspiciously.

"I would attribute that to them being like dragons and Natsu being the strongest one. So they want to follow him, and being in the same guild is the easiest way to do that, but that is only one of my theories since I have been wondering exactly the same thing for a while now. And those two would probably be causing just as much damage as Natsu used to if he wasn't training them so hard." stated Macao as he could almost see the jewels floating away.

"HAHAHA they're young Master Macao, just be happy that you have such strong mages to rely on when they are needed." said Jura with a grin.

"I am, but if they take as long as Natsu did to stop causing damage that would mean six more years of hell." declared Macao as he dropped his head onto the counter of the bar, causing a few to chuckle at him being so overdramatic about this whole thing.

"Okay, I know I am good looking and all. But why have you been staring at me like that this whole time?" Ultear asked Lyon with a pissed off expression.

"Sorry you just reminded me of my teacher, and you even have the same name as her daughter who died at a young age." answered Lyon with a frown.

"I forgot that you didn't know about me yet. Lyon I am actually the daughter of your first teacher Ur, and after talking with Grey I learned that they lied to my mother and told her I was dead so they could keep experimenting on me. I just wish I knew that when I broke out of that facility and found her with you two, but since I didn't I thought that she just replaced me with you two. And because of that thought I did some things I am not proud of, but that is another story for another time." said Ultear with a sad smile as she looked at Lyon who barely could believe what he was hearing.

"Ur was a very impressive mage and treated me and Grey as if we were her own. And I am so sorry that she died protecting us and I'll do whatever I can to make up for it." replied Lyon with a determined look.

"No need for that Lyon, I'm just glad that you two could be there for her when she needed someone since I was gone. And she did what she thought was right so you shouldn't feel obligated to try and make it up to me." said Ultear still having that sad smile.

"Fine but if I can do anything you just need to ask." stated Lyon, still shocked about this recent development. But before anyone else could say another word there was a knock at the door, which was followed with a two people entering the guild.

"This is the guild hall of Fairy Tail, the guild known for constantly brawling with each other. The home of the Salamander, the hero of Fiore and slayer of drakes?" asked one of the two guests, which everyone could now tell was a female along with her companion.

"Yes it is Master Alicia, it's an honor that you took the time out of your busy schedule to come here today." replied Macao, obviously trying to impress the woman. She was a tall and slender lady with an average bust size, while still having an hourglass figure that all women craved for. Alicia was wearing a wearing a very elaborate dress that looked like it should have only been worn to fancy dinner parties; its main color was maroon with an accent of sliver. Her hair was pitch black and done up in an elegant bum that was held together by a pin that had their guild's emblem on it.

"I didn't get such a warm welcome." commented Bob with a sly grin.

"And you aren't a woman." stated Jura.

"No Master Macao the honor is all mine, and I still want to thank Salamander personally for training those other mages of yours that allowed us to evacuate all of the citizens while they fought for their lives. They turned down a reward last week saying they were only doing what they were told, but my guild and I would still like to repay you all for helping us out of such a sticky situation." said Alicia with a smile that somehow came off as elegant just like everything else about her.

"There is truly no need for that Master Alicia, as my mages said they were only doing what any mage from Fairy Tail would have done." replied Macao with a slightly embarrassed expression.

"So I have read Master Macao, you sent out all of your strongest mages to other towns knowing that Magnolia would most likely be reduced to rubble. And even after that all of your mages offered to help those affected by the drake attacks without expecting anything in return." continued Alicia with the same smile.

"Well I wouldn't say that we didn't get anything in return, the Council pays five million jewels per drake taken down. And it was actually Natsu who sent out our mages, since he's the most experienced with handling drakes as I am sure you saw from the footage taken of his fight. But you still don't need to give us anything since we all feel that it's our job as Fairy Tail mages to prevent disasters from happening like what happened to Linnea and unfortunately Aster." explained Macao with a frown.

"From what I heard Master Macao, it's thanks to your mages that there are any survivors from Aster. I still can't believe that Jiemma would be that stubborn and do nothing to help." said Bob while shaking his head in disapproval at his fellow guild Master.

"Master Bob is right." agreed Jura.

"That he is, which is why we still want to repay you all somehow. But as one of my mages informed me, your guild is supposedly very stubborn on such things. So I have come up with a plan that should be beneficial to both of our guilds, if you are okay with it that is." said Alicia.

"And what might that be?" asked Macao with an eyebrow raised.

"Mermaid Heel would like to enter I guess you would call it a partnership since I can't come up with a better word for it. This partnership would hopefully form bonds between our two guilds like Fairy Tail already seems to have with Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale. We would encourage our mages to visit each other's guilds and hopefully do jobs with mages form both guilds, which we are hoping would allow us to eventually repay you for saving our town." explained Alicia, hoping that Macao would be okay with this.

"That does sound very beneficial to both of our guilds, but the only problem I can see with it is that doesn't your guild only allow females to enter your guild hall?" asked Macao.

"Normally that would be correct Master Macao, but if you agreed to this, males with the Fairy Tail emblem would be allowed to enter. But if they do anything against our rules while there they'll be severely punished, since our guild hall needs to stay a place where my mages feel safe." stated Alicia with a very serious expression.

"I would expect nothing less Master Alicia, I would like to say that won't ever be a problem if we agree to this but you never know. But if it does happen you are free to do whatever you want to them under the condition that you tell me so they can be punished once they get back here." replied Macao with a slightly angry expression on his face.

"Does that mean you want to try out this partnership between our guilds?" asked Alicia.

"Definitely, and I just want you to make sure that your mages know how rowdy it can be here sometimes." answered Macao with a smile.

"Actually TM Macao, we are nowhere near as rowdy as we were two years ago. Most of the time members are only coming to the guild to grab a job or just get some peace and quiet after a full day of training." stated Wakaba while lighting his pipe.

"Very true Wakaba, but when we do have one of our brawls it's worse than it was back then." said Macao as he started to imagine how many jewels the guild would lose if Ultear wasn't a member.

"We know what type of guild you have Master Macao, which also includes some of the men that I would rather not be a part of it because of how they sometimes talk about women. But some of the other men are the type of men I want my girls to realize are actually out there in the world, who see women as equals." said Alicia as she glared at Wakaba and Macao, somehow knowing about how some people considered them perverted old men.

"And I will make sure that they learn that as well Master Alicia." replied Macao nervously as Alicia continued to glare at him.

"I can almost guarantee that only a select few males of our guild will be brave enough to visit your guild Master Alicia." said Ultear with a smile.

"Why do you think that?" asked Alicia as she stopped glaring at Macao and turned towards Ultear.

"Because of your deadly aura and glare you were just giving our Master. And if you pair that with being punished twice severely if they accidentally do something wrong and it's pretty easy to see why most of them will be too afraid." explained Ultear as she looked at most of the males in the guild that were too afraid to talk right now.

"That isn't good because the whole point of this partnership was to have our guilds become closer to each other." stated Alicia with a slight frown.

"That can still happen, your members can still come here as much as they want. And I will personally make sure that they are treated like honored guests. And I did say that most of the men will be too afraid to take you up on your offer, the women of Fairy Tail will be excited to visit an all-female guild." said Ultear.

"Which men do you think might stop by sometime?" asked Alicia.

"Probably just the dragon slayers, but give it a while and I am sure the rest will eventually stop by when they know exactly what to not do or say." replied Ultear with a grin.

"That's good to hear, and Millianna you've been quieter than I expected since you were extremely excited to come along with me." said Alicia as she looked at the only member of her guild that she brought with her.

"I was just waiting until you got done with discussing business with them Master." replied Millianna with a serious face.

"Well I have accomplished that so you can make yourself at home." said Alicia with a warm smile, proud of how well behaved her members were.

"Where's Natsu and Happy?" asked Millianna excitedly, causing Alicia to chuckle at how excited she gets about cats.

"Natsu's in town working on repairing a few buildings with the other dragon slayers, and Happy is missing." answered Laki with a slight frown since Millianna obviously didn't know that Happy was at Tenrou Island when they went missing.

"Wait Happy's missing, why isn't Natsu out looking for him?" asked Millianna with a now concerned look on her face.

"Because he knows that it would be pointless to look for him right now Millianna. Happy was part of the Tenrou Group, so we have to wait until that island appears before we can even start looking for them." replied Meredy with a frown since she knew how much Happy meant to Natsu. Not just him but everyone that was on the island was extremely important to Natsu.

"Oh I see, but why was Happy not with Natsu, those two are never a part from each other?" asked Millianna with a confused and sad expression.

"That is because Natsu was still injured at the time and Master Makarov knew that Happy would've helped Natsu get to the exams. Not that it actually did anything to stop him from doing exactly that, but who knows what would have happened if Happy had stayed." answered Macao with a frown.

"Macao no need to start thinking about what ifs again. Especially since we know that they safe and will eventually be returning to us someday." said Wakaba, hoping to keep his friend from going down that road again because he already knew that it lead to nowhere good.

"How do you know that?" asked Millianna, as she remembered how sad she was when she learned of Erza and the rest dying.

"Natsu was there and told us that they were fine, which is all we need to know that they will eventually be coming back to us." declared Droy with a smile that most of the members of Fairy Tail had as well.

"It seems that all things eventually come back to that mage of yours." stated Alicia with a grin.

"Of course they do Master, Natsu is one of the best men I know and is also willing to do anything for his friends and family." said Millianna with a smile, because even though she only interacted with Natsu a little bit. She could tell that he was different than most mages, which could be seen by how much faith his guild put into him and his word.

"That he is." stated Jura with a few others nodding in agreement.

"I just really wish Happy was here, he was the only cat that could talk back to me." said Millianna with a frown.

"What about Frosch and Lector?" asked Meredy with her usual smile.

"Who?" asked Millianna with her head tilted towards her left shoulder.

"They're the two exceeds of Sting and Rogue, they are just like Happy but different colors." answered Meredy who then had Millianna right in front of her grabbing her shoulders.

"Where are they?" asked Millianna as if her life depended on finding the two Exceeds.

"They are always with their dragon slayers, so they are somewhere in Magnolia." replied Meredy, slightly confused why this was so important to Millianna.

"Let's go find them right away." said Millianna as she grabbed Meredy and was out of there before anyone else could object.

"She really likes cats." stated Alicia while shaking her head at Millianna's antics.

"HAHAHA we could tell, she'll fit right in at Fairy Tail when she visits." said Macao still chuckling to himself.

"I'm going to go help them Master." stated Kagura as she followed after the two so that she could have a few private words with Millianna.

"Never a dull moment when you're with a Fairy Tail mage." said Bob with a big grin as everyone chuckled at how true that seemed to actually be. And for the next few minutes more representatives of other guilds came and made themselves at home in Fairy Tail's guild hall, all waiting for the meeting that was going to start at one.

 **One o'clock at Fairy Tail:**

"Where the hell is that dragon slayer?" asked Wakaba.

"No idea, he knew about this meeting so just give him a few more minutes." replied Macao, hoping that Natsu didn't forget about it.

"None of the other dragon slayers have returned either." pointed out Kinana with a concerned look on her face.

"Millianna, Meredy and Kagura haven't come back yet." stated Kei with a smile, since she could only assume that Millianna somehow found the Exceeds and was now playing with them.

"I think the better question is where is Quatro Cerberus, since they were the ones that really wanted to have this meeting?" asked Bob with a slight frown.

"Maybe the train that they came in on was running late." suggested Jura.

"Nope, all of the trains coming through Magnolia's train station have been running on time." stated Hibiki with a confident grin.

"And how do you know that Hibiki?" asked Laki in a sweet tone that made Hibiki go pale.

"Because of my magic, it allows me to look at records like that." stuttered Hibiki, who was now extremely afraid of Laki.

"I like her, she would do well at Mermaid Heel." stated Alicia with a grin.

"Too bad she's a member of Fairy Tail, and I don't think that's going to change anytime soon." replied Macao as he gave Alicia a slight glare.

"Master, Ichiya has yet to return too. Do you want us to go search for him?" asked Eve, as he and the rest of the trimen appeared in front of their Master.

"Maybe you three should." stated Bob still having that frown on his face.

"That won't be necessary, Natsu sent me ahead to inform you all that they are going to be a few minutes late." said Doranbolt as he appeared in the middle of the guild.

"Hello Doranbolt, I expected you to show up sometime today." said Macao with a friendly grin.

"Of course I would Master Macao, just because the Council is no longer trying to shut your guild down doesn't mean they won't be watching the other guilds. And when representatives of most of the guilds all meet up at Fairy Tail, they of course are going to want to figure out what's going on." replied Doranbolt as he grinned back at Macao.

"To be expected, but I would have thought that they would send someone who isn't as close to us as you." stated Macao.

"They did Master Macao, but let's just say that do to some unforeseen circumstances he's coming with the rest of Natsu's group." said Doranbolt with a smirk now on his face.

"Hold up one moment, why are you two acting like you're both old friends? I thought that Fairy Tail had a deep seeded hatred for the Council and that is why you guys are always so destructive?" asked Ren with a confused expression.

"We're not fans of most of the Council, but there are a few people that work for them that we like. Such as Jura and Doranbolt, and we don't cause destruction on purpose just to get the Council angry. We just don't care if we do it while on any of our jobs, because we won't let something like that prevent us from becoming the best mages possible." explained Wakaba.

"Who's all in this group Doranbolt?" asked Ultear, who now had a good idea.

"Pretty much everyone that is missing from this meeting that is supposed to have started. Well actually that's wrong, the two little dragon slayers and the group trying to find them are doing who knows what in Magnolia." answered Doranbolt with a sly grin.

"Why are you grinning that way Doranbolt?" asked Kei with a hint of concern in her voice.

"That's because it was quiet comical when those two left our group. They for some reason got it in their little minds that the cat lady from Mermaid Heel was trying to take away their Exceeds so they took off faster than should have been possible. But she and the rest of her group took off after them trying to explain the misunderstanding that I can only assume is Natsu's fault somehow." explained Doranbolt still grinning at the memory.

"Why didn't the dragon slayers get her an hour ago?" asked Ultear, who knew they should have been done with their work by then.

"Oh that's because Quatro Cerberus ran into them and Natsu decided to take them to his restaurant. And long story short a drinking contest started between him and Bacchus, and I don't really know how it happened but it spread from there until it was everyone against Natsu." said Doranbolt while shaking his head.

"They didn't know that Natsu can't get drunk did they?" asked Jet with a faint smile at what their guests were going to look like when they finally made it to the guild.

"No they didn't, and I even warned most of them that they weren't going to stand a chance against him." replied Doranbolt.

"Why can't Natsu get drunk?" asked Hibiki, who was always trying to obtain new information whenever he could.

"His magic burns the alcohol before it can affect him." answered Ultear.

"That has to kind of suck." stated Lyon, who realized Natsu couldn't experience the pleasant side effects of drinking. He also couldn't drink away his problem like so many other people try to do if he ever felt like he needed to.

"I'm fine with it; I also don't find the taste of most alcohol that pleasing. But that might be because I can't get drunk like the rest of you." said Natsu with his usual grin while standing in the door way with one of Bacchus' arms over his shoulders to help support the man.

"The Salamander is wild!" cheered Bacchus who was clearly drunk. This caused a few people behind the two to let out their own drunken cheers about who knows what.

"How much did he drink?" asked Kinana as she came to help Natsu take Bacchus to a one of the tables.

"More than what I have ever seen Cana drink." stated Natsu causing most of Fairy Tail to look at Bacchus in shock.

"How is he still alive?" asked Jet.

"He didn't get the moniker of the Drunken Fist for nothing, Bacchus earned that title." said Goldmine as he helped a drunken Lahar into the guild.

"What in the world is he doing here?" asked Eve, who was surprised to see two employees of the Council inside of Fairy Tail while everyone else acted as if it was nothing.

"He's the Council's representative for this meeting that they weren't invited to." stated Doranbolt with a grin as he looked at his drunken friend.

"Was it wise for him to compete in the drinking contest?" asked Sherry as she looked at Lahar in pity at the massive hangover he was going to get because of this.

"He was the main person that I was warning, but Natsu here taunted him into doing it by pretending that he had a little buzz going on." replied Doranbolt as he gave Natsu a quick glare.

"HAHAHAHA man has today been awesome so far." stated Natsu with a huge smile.

"Let me guess Natsu, you told Sting and Rogue about Millianna kidnapping Happy?" asked Ultear as she glared at him as well.

"Yep, and man you should have seen how fast those two took off with their Exceeds. I don't think they even ran that fast when a drake was trying to kill them." replied Natsu while chuckling to himself as he lit one of his cigars.

"Since when do you smoke?" asked Sherry and Lyon together in complete shock.

"Since I could start doing this, but shouldn't we get started on this meeting." replied Natsu as his left hand turned into black smoke. This caused most of the guest's mouths to drop open since only a select few knew about him becoming a duel elemental dragon slayer.

"Is that how you were able to dodge some of those attacks?" asked Hibiki, who could have sworn from some of the footage that he saw of Natsu. That he shouldn't have been able to dodge some of the attacks.

"Yep, but most of the time it was just good reflexes and knowing what to expect." answered Natsu.

"Thanks for waiting for us Salamander." said Cobra bitterly as he walked in with a drunk Ichiya in his arms.

"Does he keep talking about your manly perfume?" asked Natsu while having a smug grin on his face.

"Yes he does Salamander and it's creeping me out." replied Cobra as he dropped Ichiya on the table, clearly not caring if he wasn't gentle about it at all.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA welcome to the club Cobra, but at least you aren't Erza who he keeps calling his honey every time they meet. I also think he thinks they are in a relationship together, but Erza never told me about that so it's just a guess. But it would explain why he keeps specifically asking for when she'll be returning." said Natsu still grinning as he traced his scars.

"Kinana can you get me a bottle of poison, and hello old friends." said Cobra with a sinister grin as he looked at the people that he fought against during the whole Nirvana incident.

"Hello Cobra, I'm glad to see that you are enjoying yourself at Fairy Tail and are finally doing something good with your life." said Jura as he shook hands with Cobra.

"I am too Jura, and I wouldn't mind having a friendly fight with you sometime in the future." replied Cobra as Kinana handed him his bottle of poison with a smile.

"Thanks for dealing with that drake for us." said Sherry with a slightly nervous smile.

"Salamander told me to so I didn't really have a choice in the matter." replied Cobra who then uncorked the bottle and took a swig of it to most of the guests' complete surprise.

"Don't listen to Cobra, he's still trying to play the role of big tough guy when he's just a softy like the rest of us." teased Natsu with his usual grin spread across his face.

"You just keep telling yourself that Salamander." responded Cobra as he gave him a glare that Natsu just laughed off.

"I still don't like the idea of the bar just having bottles of poison in lying about in it." stated Jet with Droy nodding his head in agreement.

"Why shouldn't it when we do the same thing for the other dragon slayers?" asked Kinana as she glared at the two of them.

"Yea but we wouldn't accidentally drink their stuff, but Cobra's looks just like another bottle." explained Droy.

"Well if you are stupid enough to drink out of a bottle clearly labeled poison then you deserve to be poisoned." hissed Kinana as she glared at the two some more.

"It's alright Kinana; they didn't mean anything by it. They are just concerned about someone else possibly getting hurt by accident; everyone is completely fine with me being a member now. All we need now is for the Council to realize that." said Cobra trying to calm down Kinana.

"I've told them that they don't have to be worried about you anymore, but they still won't listen to me about it." stated Doranbolt with a frown.

"I'm fine, because this is a hell of a lot better than that cell I used to be in." replied Cobra with a sinister grin that made a few of the guests feel uneasy.

"The Council sure is stubborn about things like that, they won't even listen to me about getting Richard out for good behavior. I even offered to watch him while he's on probation." stated Jura, which shocked everyone since they didn't know that he was trying to do something like that.

"Well hopefully I can show them that we can change and actually do good." said Cobra with a hopeful smile.

"I hope so too Cobra." said Jura with his own smile.

"What happened to your snake Cobra?" asked Sherry as she just realized it wasn't with the poison dragon slayer.

"She's safe and sound, which is probably for the best." replied Cobra as he gave Kinana a quick glance that only Natsu noticed.

"Alright, let's try and get back on track everyone. We are having this meeting because of the last drake attack, which allowed some of you to find out if you are prepared enough for them." said Ultear, who knew if she didn't take charge they would be here a lot longer than they had to.

"We realized that we need a better warning system, because if it wasn't for your mages Master Macao who knows how many citizens of my town would have died. And luckily we didn't have to test the protective barriers on our guild." said Alicia with a bright smile sent towards Macao.

"Thank you Master Alicia and I can only hope you'll never have to find out if your barriers will hold them off." replied Macao.

"From what I could tell they will definitely hold off at least three drakes." stated Natsu, causing everyone to look at him funny.

"And how would you know that Natsu?" asked Hibiki.

"Because after taking on eighteen of them over the past two years I have a good sense of what most of them are capable of. Granted there are bound to be some that will surprise me, but your standard drake won't be able to get through Mermaid Heels barriers." explained Natsu as he moved his cigar to the other side of his mouth.

"Well our barriers that we set up stopped a drakes attack, but I am afraid that it would have broken through on its next swing." said Lyon with a frown.

"It would have, but that drake was a non-elemental one so it was using mainly it's strength which I am pretty sure you guys weren't planning on. So you were wasting a lot of magic on trying to block a magical attack that was never going to be come." said Cobra after taking another drink from his bottle.

"How were we supposed to know that?" asked Sherry.

"No idea, just telling you the facts about the situation." replied Cobra with a smirk.

"It would definitely be advantageous for us to know things like that before a drake makes it to a town. So like Cobra pointed out we don't waste our magic, and it would also allow us to protect ourselves better if we know what element they have exactly if any." stated Jura.

"And how are we supposed to find that out?" asked Lyon.

"I would say by fighting them outside of the town, which is what I have been doing and it's been going pretty good for me so far." replied Natsu with both of his hands behind his head while leaning against the bar's counter.

"We're not all dragon slayers like you Natsu." pointed out Ren.

"True but one guild figured out that you don't have to be one in order to damage a drake. It just only makes it a whole lot easier if you are." said Natsu with a grin.

"What are you talking about Natsu, I thought that only dragon slayer could break their scales?" asked Jura.

"He's talking about what we found out with our encounter, that we were extremely lucky our drake was willing to wait for us to charge up our cannons and let us shoot him. We know that next time we will most likely not be so lucky, but like Natsu was saying normal magic can get through their scales it only takes a lot of it. And it definitely helps to concentrate where you are attacking otherwise you'll never get through them." answered Goldmine.

"Are you positive about this Master Goldmine?" asked Jura with a shocked expression.

"Of course I am, unfortunately two of my members died a few days ago from injures they obtained while trying to fight that dark which lead to us figuring that out." replied Goldmine with a frown.

"I'm sorry that I didn't get there faster." apologized Natsu.

"It's not your fault Salamander, and those two knew exactly what they were getting into when they fought that drake just like everyone else. And I know for a fact that they would do it again in a heartbeat knowing that no one in the town was harmed because of their sacrifice, because they are wild like that." said Bacchus who was speaking coherently and not looking extremely drunk anymore.

"That they are." agreed Natsu with a sad smile.

"How much power are we talking about here, just to get through their scales that is?" asked Jura, who knew that the Council would want to learn of this.

"Well we fired on the drake for more than five minutes with our cannons, and after wards my guild battled him until most of us couldn't anymore. So I would have to say that just going off of that a normal mage would have to be at the level of the Ten Wizard Saints to have any hope of taking on one by themselves. And even then there would be a high chances of them getting severely injured or dying." answered Goldmine.

"Like hell Master, if my fists didn't break I would have been able to handle that drake." shouted Bacchus while lying on top of a table. This was when most of them finally realized that he had casts on both of his fists, making a few of them wonder how he was even able to drink.

"That might be true Bacchus, but our bodies have limitations like you found out against that drake. And you also had the rest of the guild backing you up then, so it would definitely be a highly recommended that only a group of S-Class mages fight them if absolutely necessary." said Goldmine.

"I just need something to protect my hands next time." stated Bacchus.

"But normal weapons don't work on the drakes, trust me on that one. I found out the hard way and lost a lot of good men because of it." mumbled Lahar from his spot next to Bacchus.

"True, which is why I wanted to ask Natsu about the sword that he used in some of his fights? It seemed to actually work on them, and that would be extremely helpful if we could get a lot of them for our mages." said Bob as he looked at Natsu for an explanation.

"Oh Dragon's Remorse is actually made out of the parts of an actual drake, which is why it can hurt them unlike normal steel." replied Natsu as he re-equipped said sword.

"Couldn't you just have a few more of them made for us quickly?" asked Eve.

"No because I unfortunately had to spend several months making this and a few other weapons with Cid. And you need a dragon slayer to make them." answered Natsu with a frown.

"Why does a dragon slayer need to help?" asked Alicia.

"I don't know why the best we could come up with was that my magic can easily manipulate it but if you don't believe me, feel free to talk to Cid about it. He spent a few months trying to make some weapons without me being there and didn't accomplish anything on his own, and he's the best blacksmith that Fiore has to offer." answered Natsu with a frown.

"Unfortunately I do believe you Natsu, which makes me have to ask if you think you could possibly try and make us some weapons? Now that we know it's possible to actually hurt them, I want to give my mages the best chances of doing just that and having a weapon would definitely help accomplish that." said Bob, knowing that it was a lot to ask of Natsu.

"I'll talk with Cid and we'll see what we can do." replied Natsu with a little grin.

"Thank you Natsu, and we are going to be paying for them and will not be taking no for an answer." declared Bob as he looked at Natsu.

"Fine Master Bob, and hopefully Cid has found a way to speed up the whole process." said Natsu as he lit a new cigar and started to consume the smoke.

"We would also like to ask for the same agreement Natsu." said Jura and Alicia.

"Fine, but I hope to be able to make it so you don't have to ever use them." stated Natsu while shaking his head at them.

"This is just in case you can't do that Natsu." replied Jura.

"Natsu weren't you going to ask them about their bunkers and other setups for protecting their towns?" reminded Ultear as she sat down on his lap, since she was tired of just sitting next to him and wanted him to hold her like he usually does when she's on his lap.

"Oh yeah, I wanted to make sure that you all knew a bunker will really only protect you if the drake can't smell the people in them. If they can then the people in there will only be safe for as long as it takes for the drake to break through the doors or walls." stated Natsu as he put his arms around Ultear and gave her a quick kiss.

"I didn't even think about that." said Hibiki while smacking himself in the face.

"Don't' be angry at yourself Hibiki, I almost forgot about that too while I was coming up with the designs for the bunkers that we have in Magnolia. Oh and I am willing to give out the basic plans to whoever wants them, they contain the info of how to get rid of everyone's scent and how far I at least think they should be underground to remain hidden from the drakes." said Natsu.

"Master Bob weren't you guys trying to come up with an early detection system for the drakes?" asked Macao.

"Yes we were Master Macao, but unfortunately we haven't been able to get one to work correctly. And that might be due to the fact that we have been lucky to not have a drake near us yet." replied Bob.

"Couldn't you just use your standard magical detection device and calibrate it to only go off for things at the level of a drake or higher?" asked Ultear.

"We were thinking about doing that but they are really expensive pieces of equipment that don't have the range that we would want." replied Hibiki.

"I forgot about the cost of them, but I know that they didn't have a very big range so I was thinking that you would make a network of them. That would form a large circle around your town at a radius that should give you enough time to evacuate the citizens." said Ultear.

"That sounds like the best solution so far even if it would be a really expensive one." stated Alicia.

"We could possibly pitch that idea to the Council and they might help with the cost of it since it would possibly be saving the lives of the citizens in Fiore." said Doranbolt.

"I hope so, because that would allow use to try and boost their range and hopefully get them to identify a drake specifically." said Hibiki with a smile.

"Remember that they are pretty much just like mages Hibiki, they all have their own unique magic types. So don't be upset if you can't get it to only work on drakes." said Natsu with a serious expression.

"Don't worry Natsu I already knew that. So just leave this tech stuff to me and I'll leave the fighting to you and the other battle oriented mages." said Hibiki with a confident grin.

"Sounds good to me." replied Natsu with his own grin.

"Well I am actually surprised, but I think we might have gotten through all of the stuff that I wanted to cover." stated Macao.

"Me too." agreed Alicia.

"The same goes for me." said Bob.

"I have nothing left to discuss, expect for wanting to let the Council know as soon as possible about dragon slayers not being the only ones that can harm drakes." said Jura.

"Don't look at me, after last week my guild knew exactly what we needed to do and I wanted to make sure you all knew that normal mages could actually hurt them." said Goldmine with a grin.

"Since it sounds like the main part of this meeting is done, there is only one thing left for all of us to do." said Natsu with a serious expression.

"And what would that be exactly Natsu?" asked Macao, who had a strong idea at what Natsu's answer to that was going to be.

"Let's Party!" shouted Natsu, which instantly got a cheer of approval from most of the Fairy Tail members and their still drunk guests.

 **End of Chapter**

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this latest chapter of Master Dragneel. I was initially going to skip to the Grand Magic Games but a reader suggested that I show how some of the guilds would deal with the recent drake attack. And I realized that it would be a good idea to show that which is the chapter that you just read. So the next chapter is going to be the start of the GMG which I am excited to do and might work on that right away rather than going to one of my other stories since I really want to start the GMG. Well that is enough of me rambling on about nothing, so as always feel free to leave me a review or pm and I will try to respond back to you as soon as possible.**

 **Until the next Chapter**

 **Digem Out!**


	19. First Annual Grand Magic Games

Ch 19: First Annual Grand Magic Games

 **Two Months Later:**

"I still don't want to do this Master Macao." said Natsu as he and the rest of Fairy Tail exited the train. The other dragon slayers were being carried by members of the guild thanks to all of them still having severe motion sickness.

"And for the last time Natsu, stop complaining and win this for us." replied Macao as he couldn't help but think about the reward money that the guild would get for first place.

"Oh we'll win alright, and we'll do it in a way that shows how pointless this tournament actually is." said Natsu with a devious grin.

"Natsu don't you dare try to get us disqualified!" shouted Macao.

"Settle down old man, I told you I'd make sure we win and that is exactly what I plan to do." said Natsu still grinning at Macao.

"You're the one that put him as team captain." stated Ultear as she gave Macao a quick grin and grabbed Natsu's hand and started to exit the train station with him.

"How the hell are you fine with transportation Salamander?" asked Cobra barely able to keep down his breakfast.

"I had to go through two months of complete hell." replied Natsu with his face going a little pale.

"It wasn't that bad." said Ultear as she playfully hit his shoulder.

"Of course not, since that is when I got to know you and Meredy so well." replied Natsu as he gave her a loving grin.

"Okay we get it you two; you're now an official couple and have been for more than two month. Big deal, but could you please stop being so lovey dovey in front of the whole guild." said Jet with a serious expression.

"Sorry Jet but I really don't think we will, and it's not our problem that you don't have a girl." replied Natsu with a smirk.

"And you know exactly why that is Natsu." stated Jet in a harsh tone, which caused a few members decide to go around the small group that stopped in the middle of the streets and continue on to their hotel.

"I do Jet, but I've also told you that you need to move on for numerous reasons." said Natsu with a slight frown.

"Yes you have Natsu but they are bullshit reasons. Why won't you tell me the real reason that you want me to move on from Levy?" asked Jet with a fierce glare sent at Natsu.

"Like I said before Jet we don't know when they will be returning. And we both know that Levy would never want you or Droy to wait for her, especially if you might possibly be missing out on the chance to be with your one true love because of it." answered Natsu still frowning.

"That's easy for you to say since you have Ultear right here with you Natsu. But what would you be doing if she went missing with the rest of them?" asked Jet angrily.

"I would wait for her of course but my circumstances are slightly different Jet." replied Natsu.

"Oh let me guess Natsu, it's because of you being a dragon slayer." said Jet.

"Yes it is Jet, and it's because of that I also know that you need to let go of the idea of possibly dating Levy once she returns." said Natsu as he looked Jet straight in the eyes.

"How the hell does that have anything to do with me going after Levy?" asked Jet as he didn't break eye contact with Natsu.

"Just trust me on this one Jet." he replied quietly.

"Sorry Natsu but I can't, not when you are telling me that I should give up on her without giving me a good reason." said Jet just as quietly as Natsu.

"Natsu you can't honestly expect him to do that if he truly loves her." said Ultear with a slight frown.

"I know that Ultear, but I can't let him keep thinking that he actually might have a chance with her." replied Natsu finally breaking eye contact with Jet and looking at Ultear.

"Then just explain it to him why you're so sure that he doesn't have a chance. And if he still decides to wait for her that is his choice and you did all that you could." suggested Ultear as she gave Natsu's hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Fine, the reason that you should stop waiting for Levy is because she's Gajeel's mate." said Natsu as he turned back to Jet.

"How do you know that?" asked Jet with a slightly shocked expression.

"I don't really want to get into specifics here, but Gajeel has marked her has his mate so that all other dragon slayers know not to touch her. And before you even ask Jet, no he didn't do anything to Levy to get this mark on her. It actually isn't a mark yet, right now only her scent has changed to let other slayers know to back off and that she is off of the market." explained Natsu.

"What do you mean right now it's only her scent?" asked Jet.

"Well what I meant by that, is that later on if their relationship progresses she'll eventually get a tattoo that seals them together." replied Natsu.

"So why hasn't he done that to her yet?" asked Jet who was surprisingly taking this well.

"Probably because Gajeel wants to make sure that she likes him as much as he likes her." stated Natsu.

"If I am understanding this correctly, just because Gajeel marked her as his mate doesn't mean that she'll end up with him. And he only did that marking thing to keep pretty much just keep you away from her, but hasn't gone any further since she still might not like him that way." said Jet with a grin.

"That pretty much sums it up, which makes me have to ask why the hell are you grinning about this?" asked Natsu with a confused look on his face.

"Because it means I still have a shot with her Natsu. So as soon as she gets back I am going to ask her out on a real date and tell her how I feel." answered Jet still grinning.

"You don't though Jet." stated Natsu with a frown.

"How not Natsu, you just said that Levy doesn't have the mark because she doesn't like Gajeel the same way that he likes her?" asked Jet instantly losing his smile.

"I said that Gajeel isn't sure if she feels that way Jet. And I know that you've seen the way she looks at him and will come up with any reason to be around him while at the guild. Not only that Jet, but she picked him to be her partner for the exams. Yes Gajeel is a strong fighter and a great ally to have, but we both know that the main reason she picked him was to spend more time with him." replied Natsu making sure that Jet heard all of it.

"But that still doesn't mean they'll be together." stated Jet.

"True, but as soon as they find out that they have lost almost two years of their lives if they happened to show up tomorrow. I am confident that one of them will tell the other about how they feel, and then they will be in a relationship that will most likely end with them getting married." said Natsu.

"What if it doesn't work out between them?" argued Jet, trying to come up with any reason to still hold out for Levy.

"Once again that could happen, but it's more likely that Gajeel would die before he would let that happen. Dragon slayers are just like dragons and don't rush into relationships because once either of us do we'll do everything in our power to keep it going since we don't like admitting defeat in any form. It could also be due to the possessive nature we get from our dragons as well." explained Natsu, who didn't notice the happy smile Ultear now had on her face at hearing this bit of information.

"How the hell do you know all of this Natsu, until Ultear showed up there was actually a bet in the guild that you might be gay since you never seemed to notice any of the women?" asked Jet, who no longer cared about keeping that a secret from Natsu.

"I noticed them Jet but like I said we slayers tend to take things slower than normal humans do for certain reasons. And how do I know all of this now, it's because I read about it in my book that is about everything draconic. There is a section on relationships for each draconic race that was a little too vivid for my taste in some spots. But add that to me actually being a slayer and I am unfortunately correct about this Jet." explained Natsu, who could only feel sorry for Jet. But he was happy that Droy seemed to listen to him about this when he first told the two. It probably meant that Droy knew about Levy liking Gajeel and accepted that they would probably get together once they returned.

"Sometimes I really hate you dragon slayers and the weird shit that comes with your magic." stated Jet with his head down.

"I sometimes do to, but they have saved me and you guys on a few occasions so I can live with some of the crappier aspects of being one." replied Natsu, not knowing how Jet was going to react to all of this.

"That you have Natsu, and I know you are only trying to help me by telling me all of this. But I don't know if I can actually let her go, even after hearing all of that. And knowing that my chances are even slimmer than I thought earlier." said Jet still with his head down.

"It's your life Jet, I just wanted to make sure you knew about all of this." stated Natsu with a sad smile.

"Thank you for doing that Natsu, let's go catch up with everyone else." said Jet as he walked past Natsu and Ultear with a sad expression on his face.

"He'll be fine Natsu, he just needs some time is all." said Ultear as she looked up at Natsu's sad face.

"I sure hope so." replied Natsu as they followed after Jet.

"Well at least Fiore will now know that you can do other things than killing drakes." she stated with a small smile.

"What are you talking about Ultear?" asked Natsu with a questioning look on his face.

"I'm surprised that you of all people Natsu didn't notice all of the on lookers of your conversation with Jet." she explained.

"Shit, that was supposed to be a private conversation." growled Natsu as he glared at a few of the people staring at him.

"If that was what you intended then might I suggest that next time you don't do it in the middle of the street." teased Ultear as she smiled at the slightly embarrassed face Natsu now had.

"You're probably right Ultear, but why are they still looking at us like that?" asked Natsu as pretty much everyone that noticed them stopped whatever they were doing and gawked at them.

"I'd have to guess that they are surprised to see the actual man from the footage of you beating those four drakes walking around with a beautiful woman on his arm." she replied with a sultry grin.

"I'd understand them staring at you since you're gorgeous, but you'd think that I wouldn't be special to them since they keep showing off that fight for some reason." he said with a sly grin.

"Oh come on Natsu, who wouldn't want to meet the famous Salamander that single handedly saved Fiore from a drake invasion." teased Ultear, knowing that Natsu hated it when people said that about him.

"I need to hit Jason for saying that about me and also for getting that footage." growled Natsu which only caused Ultear to laugh at him.

"It isn't that bad Natsu, at least they aren't running away from you like you thought they would." she teased as they passed more people that just stared at the two of them.

"Maybe not now, but they seem too afraid to even move now." stated Natsu after letting out a sigh.

"They're just slightly shocked to see you." replied Ultear in a reassuring tone.

"We'll see if that's the case Ultear." he replied while more people continued to stare at them. Until he heard a boy asking his mom if he could go and meet him, and before the mom could even reply the kid took off towards Natsu with a big grin.

"I can't believe you're actually here Salamander." said the boy as he came to a stop right in front of Natsu.

"HAHAHAHA well I am, so what's your name?" asked Natsu with a warm smile.

"The names Andrew, so why are you here Salamander?" asked the boy clearly excited that he got to meet Natsu.

"I am so sorry about that Salamander, Andrew you shouldn't bother a busy man like him." scolded the Mother as she came up to them.

"Oh its fine Ma'am, I really don't mind at all. Well Andrew I am here to compete in that new tournament they're having, you should come by and watch." said Natsu still having a smile on his face.

"Really Salamander, I bet you'll beat everyone that faces you just like you did with those drakes. And I would love to watch them but the tickets are too expensive." replied Andrew with a frown at the end of it.

"Well we can't have that now can we, my biggest fan has to be in the crowd cheering me on? Here, this should definitely be enough for you and the rest of your family to get tickets." said Natsu as he handed Andrew a wad of jewels.

"Look mom we can now go and watch the games." cheered Andrew as he showed his mom the jewels.

"Sorry Salamander but we can't accept this generous offer." said Andrew's mom with a sad smile.

"Why not?" asked Natsu as he looked at her wanting to know why.

"I don't think we would ever be able to repay you back." she replied as Andrew realized that he might not be getting to see the games.

"I don't expect to be paid back at all; I just wanted to make sure that Andrew here got to see the games since he seems to be pretty excited about them. Also he was the first person to come and actually talk to me rather than just stare at me like everyone else, so I wanted to do something special for him." explained Natsu.

"But this is too much, even if you just wanted to do something special for him." she stated as she took the jewels away from her son. Who really didn't want to give them to her since he knew that she would then just give them to back to Natsu.

"I honestly have no idea how much these tickets cost, but if you want I could have some waiting for your family." he replied with his usual grin.

"That would probably be better since this is at least twice the amount that it would cost for us to watch every day of the games." she stated as she held out the jewels for Natsu to take back.

"Alright we'll be on our way then, oh and Andrew I expect to hear you cheering for me." said Natsu as he and Ultear started to walk away from them.

"You can count on that Salamander." said Andrew with a big smile.

"Wait Salamander you didn't take you jewels back!" she said to him.

"I don't want them, and from what I hear the food is going to be expensive at the games." replied Natsu as he continued to walk away from them.

"He's so cool." said Andrew as he watched Natsu and Ultear continue down the street.

"He's not what I expected." said his mom as she looked at wad of jewels that contained at least ten thousand.

"That was awfully nice of you Natsu." said Ultear as she rested her head on his shoulder as the continued to walk down the street.

"It really wasn't much." he replied.

"Yes it was Natsu, so why did you do it other than you being the kind man that you are?" she asked.

"He reminded me of myself when I was his age, I didn't have a lot of jewels then so I couldn't do some of the things that I really wanted to. So I wanted to give him the chance to do what I couldn't." answered Natsu with a content smile on his face.

"You aren't going to have any jewels now if you keep doing things like that Natsu." she teased, which caused Natsu to chuckle.

"And I wouldn't really care so long as you and the rest of Fairy Tail are safe and happy." he replied as they came up to the place that they were going to be staying at during their time here.

"Honey Bone Lodge, are you sure this is the place that we are staying at Natsu?" asked Ultear as she looked at the place, which wasn't bad by any means. She was just expecting to stay in a really fancy hotel while here, but she should have known that Macao wouldn't spend jewels on something like that.

"Come on Ultear I found it because all of their scents went here and it actually kind of reminds me of the old guild." he said as he pulled her inside. They were both greeted with what most people believed Fairy Tail to always be doing while not on jobs, which was a guild wide brawl that had all of the members smiling as they destroyed a new place.

"You can go join them Natsu." said Ultear with a smile since she could tell that he really wanted to join in. And as soon as she said that Natsu was instantly in the thick of it and laughing as he started to deck his fellow guild mates that were in his striking range.

"Glad that you two finally made it." said Macao as he came up to Ultear.

"A few things held us up on the way Master Macao, but honestly I am surprised that you are letting them do this." stated Ultear as they both watched the brawl from the sidelines.

"They deserve to let off a little steam every once and a while. Besides, thanks to you we don't have to be concerned about the damages that we cause inside of here." he replied with a sly grin.

"But what if I need to save my energy for the matches today?" she asked with her own sly grin.

"We don't have to participate in the preliminaries today since we're still one of the top four guilds. So you don't have to be concerned about that my dear." said Macao smugly.

"If that's the case then Natsu and I are going to go see the town. Natsu let's go sightseeing." shouted Ultear knowing that Natsu wouldn't stop otherwise.

"Sounds good to me." said Natsu now right in front of Ultear.

"Then let's go." replied Ultear as she took his arm.

"Can we join you two?" asked Meredy with Kagura and Kei behind her.

"The more the merrier as I always say." replied Natsu with his usual grin. Since he loved seeing the happy expressions that the three girls got just from being able to spend time with him. But Natsu unfortunately didn't see the slightly pissed off face that Ultear made towards him because of not consulting with her before he said it was okay for them to join.

 **The next day:**

"I would have thought that the arena would be fancier than this." stated Natsu as they made their way through the crowds that were trying to get to the good seats before they were all taken. The arena looked like it was thrown together in the last month, which judging from the location of it the arena couldn't have been there more than two months since it was in the middle of the place that Natsu took on the four drakes. It was mainly constructed out of wood, and had three tiers of bleachers that encircled the arena. The place where the fights would be taking place was a large circle that just had a sand floor and protective runes so that the audience would be safe from stray attacks and things of that nature.

"This is only temporary Nastu, the real arena is still under construction and will be finished in time for next year." stated Laki with a grin.

"Please tell me that it's going to be more elaborate than just wooden bleachers?" asked Natsu as they were directed to their designated seats.

"Of course it is Natsu, they have been actually working on it for the past four years." said Meredy as she sat down on the other side of Ultear.

"Then maybe I was wrong about these games since it appears that it's been years in the making. And just happened to spring up at a really bad time." stated Natsu more to himself than anyone else.

"I can't believe how packed it is already, considering that it won't start for another two hours." stated Macao as he rubbed his mustache in thought.

"They just want to get the best seat that they can since its first come first serve." said Droy whose face then turned to one of pain while holding his back.

"Does it still hurt?" asked Laki with a concerned look.

"Nothing that I can't handle, I just really wonder why I am the only one that hasn't healed yet completely?" asked Droy with a smirk that everyone could tell he was using to cover up the pain that he was feeling right now.

"It's probably still some lingering side effects of the poison that drake was using." answered Cobra with his expressionless face that he usually has.

"But why aren't any of them feeling it?" asked Droy.

"Burned it before it could have any effect on my body." replied Natsu as he continued to watch the crowd.

"Your flowers saved us from getting any of it." said Laki with a smile.

"Okay, but they were there when I was attacked." stated Droy.

"Yes, but from what I was told you just casted the spell so they were still kicking in at that time. And I am just guessing here, but I think you should be completely free of all toxins within the next two months." said Cobra as he too inspected the crowd with Natsu.

"I hope so because it stings like a bitch." mumbled Droy.

"Master Macao, why didn't the entire guild come with us?" asked Kei from in sitting in between Meredy and Kagura.

"Because some of them were on jobs or had other things that were more important like Bisca close to giving birth. Also it's being broadcasted all across Fiore, so some of the members decided it would be better to just watch it at the guild. And I think that they might have been right on that since it's going to be extremely crowded in here pretty soon." answered Macao.

"Wake me when this stupid thing starts." said Natsu as he leaned back and closed his eyes.

"Natsu don't use me as your pillow." said Nab since he was the one behind him.

"Shut up Nab, your captain needs his rest." replied Natsu with a yawn and made no moves to stop leaning against Nab.

"He is our captain for these games." stated Ultear with a grin as she then decided to rest her head against Natsu's chest and close her eyes for a bit too.

"Oh come on guys I …" started Nab but was stopped by a growl coming from Natsu.

 **Two hours later:**

"Good morning ladies and gentlemen. My names Chapati Lola and I will be your announcer for first annual Grand Magic Games!" shouted Chapati causing Natsu to finally open his eyes.

"About time, I was getting really bored." stated Natsu as he rolled his shoulders and did a few other stretches.

"What are you talking about Natsu, you were asleep?" asked Jet as Chapati continued to announce in the background.

"Couldn't get to sleep with all of these new scents coming and going." replied Natsu as if they all should have known that.

"Then why the hell didn't you get off of me?" asked Nab in an angry tone.

"It was surprisingly comfy Nab, and I didn't want to disturb Ultear since she was enjoying it as well." answered Natsu with his usual grin.

"Do you have a problem with that Nab?" asked Ultear as she sent a glare his way.

"No, not at all Ultear, forget I said anything." replied Nab nervously.

"Hey Salamander when do Rogue and I get to fight?" asked Sting who was literally jumping up and down on his seat.

"HAHAHAHA you two will get to go if there is a tag team battle or if one of the events fits perfectly with your set of skills." answered Natsu with a smile at the boy who is acting like he used to only a few years ago.

"So that means right away right, since I'm great at everything I do?" asked Sting with a big smile.

"Probably not buddy, but we'll have to wait and see." said Natsu as he then looked at the rest of his team that were all staring at him.

"So what's your big plan Natsu?" asked Laki with everyone else thinking the same thing.

"Why do you think I have something like that?" asked Natsu with a sly grin.

"You're the captain Natsu, so it would only make sense that you have a plan." stated Kagura while shaking her head at him.

"Makes sense, and I do have a plan. It's simply to go out there and show them why we are still the number one guild in Fiore." said Natsu expecting to get a cheer from his team but got nothing.

"Enough kidding around Natsu, what's your plan that is guaranteed to get us first place?" asked Meredy with an upset facial expression.

"Fine if you guys don't believe that's my plan then you'll just have to wait and see like everyone else." replied Natsu with a mischievous grin.

"Ultear do you know his plan?" asked Meredy, hoping that she might know.

"Sorry Meredy but he hasn't said a word about his plans for this, well expect for constantly complaining about even participating in it." she answered with a grin of her own.

"You definitely know something Ultear." accused Laki, hoping that if they kept asking her she would fill them in.

"I honestly don't know any more than you guys do." replied Ultear still grinning.

"Alright everyone it's time to make our entrance." said Natsu as he stood up and came to the edge of the arena.

"Last but not least we have Fairy Tail, the guild that has supposedly been the number one guild for years now. But most of you probably know of them thanks to one other their members who single handedly took on four drakes right where we're all standing at. The one and only Salamander, let's find out if he can keep his guild on top." announced Chapati, causing the crowd to start cheering louder than before as Natsu then jumped into the arena. This caught his team off guard, but they all followed in after him and formed into a triangle behind him and waved to the crowd that was cheering for them.

"If it isn't the famous Salamander." said Bacchus with a big grin as the came up to Natsu brought him into a quick hug.

"Good to see you again Bacchus and it looks like your hands are completely fine now." stated Natsu with a grin.

"Yes they are Salamander and I can't wait to use them against you." declared Bacchus with a smirk.

"We'll see what happens Bacchus." replied Natsu.

"I think Master Ooba didn't actually expect you to participate in this Natsu, otherwise she would have told Jura to compete as well. But I guess I'll just have to be the one to take you down." said Lyon with a smug look on his face.

"I actually didn't want anything to do with this whole thing, something is just off about it." mumbled Natsu.

"Then why are you here then Salamander?" asked Ichiya in one of his poses.

"Because Master Macao ordered me to and he also said that we have to take first place, so sorry in advance." answered Natsu with a grin that meant trouble.

"Would you look at that everyone, it would appear that the team captains from the top four guilds already know each other. And if I am not mistaken it looks like that won't be making any of them hold back, if anything it looks like Salamander is the mage that everyone is gunning for." announced Chapati as the crowd continued to cheer for the games that were just about to start.

"I wouldn't count us out, and I have been ordered to beat you Salamander." said Minerva as her team joined the meeting in the center of the arena.

"And I was told the same thing Natsu." said Millianna with a smile.

"Well sorry to disappoint you both but that isn't going to be happening. And your name's Minerva right, daughter of Jiemma?" asked Natsu as his tone got darker when saying Jiemma's name.

"Yes I am Salamander." she replied while trying to seem unafraid of him. And if you were watching you would have actually thought she wasn't, but on the inside Minerva was freaking out since she saw what Natsu was capable of and that was months ago. And if the rumors were to be believed, Natsu was constantly getting stronger and showed no signs of stopping.

"If I was a different man I would take out my hatred for your father on you, but luckily for you I'm not. So I'll be treating you just like anyone else here, which means you'll be seen as my enemy once this starts. And I think you all have seen how I deal with my enemies." he said with a smirk as the other teams started to freak out a little by that declaration.

"Would the teams head back to their seats so that we can get this show on the road?" asked Chapati.

"Sure thing Chapati, well it looks like we'll meet later." said Natsu as he turned around and headed back to their seats with the rest of his team following.

"Looks like Salamander is willing to accept all challengers, which should make these games very interesting. Now on to the first event, this like most events will require each team to send out one member to compete in it. The first event is called the Labyrinth, and just like the name suggests it's a maze that the contestants have to race through to the finish line. But that's not all folks, throughout the maze are traps to test the ingenuity of the contestants as they try to race through it." said Chapati as six portals appeared in the middle of the arena with the names of the guilds over them.

"I assumed that there would be something along these lines." stated Natsu with a grin.

"Can I go Salamander?" asked Sting as he bounced around them too excited to sit still.

"Calm down Sting, and I think that there might be more to this." replied Natsu as he watched the lacrima screen that was displaying the rules for this event.

"Now to make this is fair every contestants maze is exactly the same, but to make things interesting they all end at the same place. And if you couldn't guess that means the contestants might run into each other and prompt an unscheduled fight. If one of these fights happens to occur the contestant will follow the same rules as any other fight for this tournament, which means no killing blows. And it would be wise to not waste time since this is a race after all." explained Chapati.

"This could be really fun, I do love a good hunt." stated Natsu with a sinister grin.

"Natsu you aren't supposed to hunt down the other contestants, you're just supposed to get to the end first." said Kei with a bright smile, since Natsu would of course just focus on the fighting part of it.

"I know that Kei, but if I took all of them out then I would get first while none of them got any points." replied Natsu still having that same grin that meant trouble.

"That would be a very unique and unexpected strategy." stated Kagura, who looked like she was agreeing with it.

"Don't encourage him Kagura." said Meredy with a frown.

"Would each guild send the member that they want participating in the event." ordered Chapati.

"So who are we sending out Natsu?" asked Ultear. She knew exactly who she would send out for this event, but since Natsu was the captain it was his decision.

"I really want to go and have some fun." he replied with a smirk, causing Ultear to roll her eyes since she had a feeling that Natsu would get impatient and do the first event.

"But I think there is someone suited better for this event than me, Jet are you ready to show Fiore what a Fairy Tail Wizard is capable of?" asked Natsu with his smirk getting bigger.

"Hell yea I am Natsu!" shouted Jet as he then jumped over the ledge and slowly walked towards the portal that had Fairy Tail's name over it.

"Hey Jet!" shouted Natsu.

"Yea?" asked Jet as he turned to look at Natsu.

"I was just going to suggest that you cut loose and have some fun. I don't know maybe let out a little anger that you might be bottling up, but if you do you still better take first place." replied Natsu with a serious expression.

"Sure thing captain Dragneel." said Jet with an amused grin making an appearance on his face.

"What was that about Natsu?" asked Laki as he took his seat next to Ultear.

"Just wanted him to know that it was okay to get a little revenge, and he's working through some stuff that at least in my experience is easier to do while fighting. But then again I used to be always fighting so it might just be me." answered Natsu as he looked at all of the other contestants heading towards their portals. He stopped on the Sabretooth mage and kind of felt a little sorry for him, but that was instantly lost when he remembered the state that his friends where in when he finally made it to Aster.

"Shit, Natsu you know that this isn't going to help anything." stated Ultear after seeing who he was looking at.

"Well it can't get any worse since they were going to let our members die." he replied in a cold tone.

"What's going on Ultear?" asked Meredy with a concerned look.

"Sabretooth isn't going to be finishing this event if my assumption is correct." she replied as she gave Natsu a glare.

"This will just be a little thank you to Jiemma for all the help that he gave us that day." stated Natsu who was now actually staring at Jiemma. Who just then looked over at Natsu and gave him a sinister grin, which made everyone else feel a little uneasy.

"I think he's planning something." said Warren with a concerned look sent to Jet.

"Then why don't you find out Warren, and be as discreet as possible." stated Natsu.

"On it." he replied as he closed his eyes.

"Warren don't do that, we could be disqualified." hissed Ultear.

"Only if he gets caught Ultear, and you know that he won't." replied Natsu.

"You better be right about this Natsu." she stated as continued to glare at him and his reckless behavior.

"You were right Natsu, Jiemma told all of his mages to go after us and try to take us out of the games. He doesn't care if they lose because of it, just so long as we are taken down first." said Warren with a disgusted look on his face.

"I told you that he would most likely do something like this, so what's with that face Warren?" asked Natsu, but got cut off by Chapati signaling the beginning of the race. The contestants were now being displayed on the giant screen, which was exactly what everyone else across Fiore was seeing at the moment. All of the contestant expect for Jet took off into the Labyrinth, while he stood there for a few moments while doing some stretches.

"What's this, Jet from team Fairy Tail hasn't moved off of the starting pad and is only doing some stretches. What in the world is he thinking, and from what I am being told he's supposed to be the fastest member of Fairy Tail." announced a shocked Chapati. But was even more shocked when Jet disappeared with the camera actually being launched back.

"Where in the world did he go, and why isn't the camera following him?" asked Chapati, which was then followed by the sounds of someone whispering something to the announcer.

"He just had to show off didn't he." stated Droy with a smile knowing that his best friend had this on in the bag.

"Alright everyone, it would appear that Jet is too fast for our cameras to track. And it also seems like he's faster than the traps in the maze, which are being sprung after he's already clear of them." informed Chapati.

"Let's see how he handles this." said Natsu as he looked at the map that was showing the traps being triggered by Jet. That now put him right in front of the finish line, shocking most of the crowd since it had only been a few minutes and every other contestant weren't even to the half way mark yet.

"It looks like we have a winner everyone, wait a minute Jet has gone back into the Labyrinth after stopping right in front of the finish line. What in the world is he thinking, I really wish we could see what he's doing but I guess we'll just have to follow him by the traps that he's springing." announced Chapati, as the crowd quieted down at this strange turn of events.

"That idiot is looking for Sabretooth isn't he." stated Laki as she glared at Natsu along with a few others.

"I just told him to let off a little steam, maybe he's doing that by having fun with those traps." replied Natsu with a smug look on his face.

"You knew he would do this if you told him all of that didn't you Natsu." accused Macao as he glared at him.

"I strongly suspected that this would happen Master Macao. And you heard what Warren found out, so we're going to beat them at their own game until his mages stop listening to his stupid orders." said Natsu with a completely serious face.

"I just hope you know what you're doing Natsu." said Macao while shaking his head.

"I'm not doing anything Master Macao; I didn't want to even be here. But now that I am, I'm going to make sure that everyone knows what happens when you mess with Fairy Tail." he declared.

"It would appear that Jet is looking for someone. He's already passed by Mermaid Heel, Lamia Scale and Quatro Cerberus. And now he's now coming up on Sabretooth, I wonder if this is the person that he's looking for and it would appear so since he's now on the screen of Sabretooth." said Chapati as the Sabretooth became the center screen so everyone could see it better.

"Hello Sabretooth." said Jet with a sly grin.

"Well look at this, you just saved me the time of me hunting you down and knocking you out of this race." replied the Sabretooth mage as he rolled his shoulders and got into a fighting stance.

"Natsu said that you assholes would probably be gunning for us, which I don't really care about since people have always been going for us." said Jet as he leaned up against one of the walls. Not even looking like he was taking any of this very seriously.

"Well we're going to be the ones that finally do it." shouted the mage as he charged Jet and swung his fist at Jet's face. The audience then watched as the wall that Jet used to be leaning against was reduced to nothing but rubble, thinking that Jet was somewhere inside of it.

"Master was right, the only one that we should be concerned about it is Salamander." said the Sabretooth mage as he spit on the rubble and turned around only to be launched into a wall.

"It would seem that I might have been wrong in thinking that Jiemma is the only one I should hate from your guild." said Jet now leaning up against another wall like he was before. The other mage picked himself up off of the floor and looked at Jet with pure hatred.

"I am going to enjoy beating the shit out of you in front of all of Fiore." shouted the Sabretooth mage as he charged at Jet again. But before he could even swing his punch his head was launched into the floor by a swift kick from Jet.

"So as I was going to say before you attacked me the first time. I really don't care if your guild hates mine, but what I won't stand for is assholes like you just sitting back and letting people die that you were supposed to protect." said Jet as he glared at other mage.

"Oh and what are you going to do about it Fairy, those hits did nothing?" asked the other mage as he also glared at Jet.

"I'm really glad to hear that because those were some of my weakest kicks. Now as to what I am going to do about it, I am going to beat you up for all of those people in Aster that lost friends and family members because of your guild sitting back while we tried to actually do something." answered Jet with an extremely pissed off face.

"Bring it Fai…" said the other mage before a knee was implanted into his gut and launched him into another wall. But before he could recover he was kicked in the side and sent tumbling down the hall that they were in.

"Shit that hu..." he said but was once again kicked. But this time it was in his back and launched him back to where he started. This was unfortunately just the beginning for him, before he even came to a stop he was hit in the center of his chest causing him to come to a sudden stop but then be sent the opposite direction. For the next two minutes everyone watched as the Sabretooth mage was being launched back and forth by a blur that everyone knew was Jet.

"So what were you saying about the only one to watch out for being Natsu?" asked Jet as he bent down to the beaten up mage and was only inches away from his face.

"How are you this strong?" he asked while coughing out blood.

"Because I'm actually trying to protect something that is important to me, unlike your guild that is only trying to get power for the hell of it." replied Jet as he stood up.

"Why?" asked the downed mage.

"Why what? If you are asking why I just beat the hell out of you, I told you that before I even started. And if you are asking why my guild and I are trying to protect Fiore then the answer to that is really simple. It's the duty of every mage to protect those who can't do it for themselves. Well I still have a race to win so I'm going to end this." answered Jet as he grinned down at the mage.

"Please don't I'll never try something like this again." begged the mage, who was unable to do anything else.

"Too late." said Jet as he brought his leg up. The audience all held their breath waiting for the Sabretooth mage to be knocked out as Jet brought his leg down with enough force to cause a little dust cloud to form. Once it settled everyone was shocked to see the Sabretooth mage not knocked out but the ground right next to his head now had a shoe print smashed into it.

"It would appear that Jet decided to not finish him off and is heading towards the finish that a few of our other contestants are getting close to." announced Chapati with a smile. Glad along with everyone else watching that Jet didn't finish off the helpless mage.

"Shit, since when has Jet been able to do that?" asked Macao in disbelief at what he just saw.

"For a while now and why else do you think he's been training with me Master Macao?" asked Natsu as he looked over at him.

"I knew to get stronger so that he could protect Fairy Tail, but that was incredible." stated Macao.

"Yes it is, but fighting like that really takes a lot out of him which is why I made him learn how to use a weapon. So that he can take down multiple enemies without burning himself out like he just did." replied Natsu.

"What do you mean by burning himself out?" asked Kei.

"And there you have it everyone. Fairy Tail has taken a commanding lead with Jet just barely making it before Mermaid Heel and getting ten points for his team." cheered Chapati along with the rest of the crowd.

"That was cutting it close, and what I meant by that is Jet won't be able to compete in anything after today." replied Natsu with a slight grin as he watched Jiemma shake in rage at his mage not being able to finish.

"Really how come?" asked Kagura, finding this strange since this is the first she's ever heard of it.

"Didn't you all just watch him pretty much go full out since the very beginning, which is why the cameras couldn't keep up with him. And after doing that he then chose to get into a fight while still going all out. Now I am only guessing that he didn't intend to fight like that right off the bat, but after hearing what that other guy said. I am not surprised that Jet chose to continue going full out to prove that I wasn't the only mage at Fairy Tail to look out for." explained Natsu as he watched Jet standing at the finish line proudly.

"Wow Natsu, I didn't think that you and Jet were that close." stated Kei with a smile.

"I'd like to think I'm that close to everyone at Fairy Tail now, especially after all the training that we've done together." he replied with a warm smile sent her way.

"And that is why I knew you would be a good team Captain." stated Macao with smug grin.

"No I am pretty sure you did it because you were too lazy to do it yourself." said Natsu as he lit his cigar.

"Why you little, that isn't the reason I gave the position to you Natsu. Besides I am the Master so I can't be on the team." argued Macao.

"Not true Master Macao, there isn't any rule saying a Master can't compete in these things. And trust me I have read the rule book from front to back three different times already. The only two reasons that I can think of why the others aren't doing that are because they see it as beneath them, or maybe they want to give the spotlight to their mages." he pointed out.

"I am pretty sure that the first reason is for a specific someone." said Ultear as she looked over at Sabretooth.

"Yep, oh and Warren you never answered me about why you had such a disgusted face after reading his mind." said Natsu as he looked at the telepath.

"Oh it was nothing that you need to be concerned about Natsu." replied Warren nervously.

"Well now you made me even more curious since that is obviously a lie Warren. But I trust you so I'll be waiting for you to fill me in later, hopefully before we leave for home." said Natsu as he turned back to the screen and watched as the mage from Quatro Cerberus took fifth place and scored two points for his team.

"That's the end of the event for today, which means we're onto the fight section of the tournament. And it would look like Fairy Tail and Sabretooth have something going on between them, that apparently happened during the drake invasion a few months ago." said Chapati as all of the contestants were teleported back to the arena. Where all of the contestants were instantly greeted by a cheering crowd, who were all really excited for the upcoming fights.

"So how'd I do captain Dragneel?" asked Jet with a huge grin.

"I'd say you did great Jet, but you were cutting it close there at the end." stated Natsu as he grinned back at him.

"Oh come on Natsu I had a full thirty seconds until Mermaid Heel got there." replied Jet as he sat down and then let out a long sigh.

"HAHAHA I know man, but you haven't pushed yourself that hard probably since you faced off against that drake." said Natsu as he looked over at the completely exhausted speed mage.

"That sounds about right, so I think I'm going to be done with these things if that's okay?" asked Jet as he looked over at Natsu.

"Glad that you asked me that Jet because I was going to not let you do anything else anyways." replied Natsu.

"I am fine with getting us ten points and putting us into the lead right off the bat." said Jet with a proud grin.

"And I knew you could, while also pissing Jiemma off in the process." stated Natsu as he gestured to Jiemma on the other side of the arena who was clearly pissed off.

"Natsu I think it might be a wise idea to not piss him off anymore." suggested Warren.

"And why not Warren just look at him freaking out right now? He was so sure that this was going to be easy for his mages but now look at him and he still hasn't even seen what I've got planned." said Natsu as he smiled at Jiemma who was glaring at him the whole time.

"He's obviously doesn't deal well with failure so please don't rub it in his face Natsu." said Warren with a frown.

"No promises Warren, he should be thankful that I didn't do more than cut him after the shit he pulled." said Natsu as he continued to smile at Jiemma.

"Alright everyone here is the schedule for the rest of the day, so would Sabretooth and Mermaid Heel please each send out a member for the first fight of the tournament." said Chapati as the schedule of the three fights for the day came up on the screen. The second fight of the day was Lamia Scale vs Quatro Cerberus with the final one being Fairy Tail vs Blue Pegasus.

"Who do you think's going to win this one?" asked Kei as the two mages entered the arena. Most of the Fairy Tail members were going with Mermaid Heel just because they didn't want Sabretooth to win that is until the one of the least likely people spoke up in favor of Sabretooth.

"Sabretooth is definitely going to win this one, and you can tell this by watching the way they walked into the arena and then the stances that they are using. Mermaid Heel's mage is using a stance that you learn from a book while the Sabretooth mage is using a different stance that he's made changes to from experience in actual fights he's been a part of." said Natsu as the two mages charged each other.

"Mermaid Heel could still win though." objected Laki.

"She could if she got really lucky, but unfortunately I don't think that's going to happen." stated Natsu as he intently watched the fight taking place. The fight lasted for another five minutes and ended with Sabretooth the victor, which caused Jiemma to now have a smug grin on his face whenever anyone looked at him.

"That was a great fight, let's just hope that our second one is just as exciting." announced Chapati as the next two fighters made their way to the arena.

"So who do you think is going to win this one?" asked Cole, who was one of the newer members that showed a lot of promise. His appearance was quite normal when compared to some of the other Fairy Tail members, considering that the only thing that stood out about him was his sword that he never let leave his side. His hair was a maroon slash read color that covered his right eye most of the time, which Natsu kept telling him would cause that eye to become weaker but being seventeen Cole wouldn't listen to him about that. Cole's outfit was a pair of black dress shoes and grey pants, he also wore a nice purple long sleeved dress shirt that he never tucked in. And to finish off his attire he had a black coat that could cover everything if he chose to wear it that way, but he usually had the hood down and sleeves slightly rolled up.

"Judging from their magical power I would have to go with the mage from Lamia Scale. Otherwise it would look like they both have the same amount of experience which should make this a good fight to watch." replied Natsu as the fighters charged at each other.

"So who's going to be the one chosen to fight for us Natsu?" asked Cole. Who happened to be just as excited as Sting but could control himself better than the young dragon slayer.

"It's going to be me of course." replied Natsu with a grin.

"I told you that he couldn't sit back and do nothing for a whole day." cheered Meredy as she started to collect jewels from a few of the members that foolishly took her up on that bet.

"Wow, is this another Cana in the making?" asked Natsu as he watched her go about collecting her winnings.

"Maybe in the gambling department, but I won't let her become the guild drunk." growled Ultear, her motherly side coming out at the mere thought of Meredy drinking like that.

"I'm surprised that you are even letting her do this." stated Natsu as he looked at her in the eyes.

"I at first tried to stop her, but she's just so good at it Natsu and so far has always come out with a profit. So as long as she keeps that up I see no problem with it." she replied after giving him a quick kiss, knowing that he was almost as concerned about Meredy as she was.

"But isn't that how most addicts start?" asked Natsu with a concerned expression.

"I would have to guess so, but I don't want to hear that from Mr. I will only smoke a few a month." she said while glaring at him.

"And that is exactly what I am doing." he stated while glaring right back at her.

"Natsu you are having at least one a day, and yes I know it's different since you are eating them. But you do have to admit you're eating more than you originally thought you would be." said Ultear no longer glaring at him.

"Fine Ultear, you win like always." replied Natsu with a smirk.

"And that's the way it's going to stay." said Ultear as she leaned back against him again like she was before.

"So when are the rest of us going to participate in this thing?" asked Cole, hoping to hear that he would join in tomorrow.

"You'll get to participate when it suits your skills." answered Natsu while not taking his eyes off of the current fight.

"Those two are not too bad." stated Nab.

"They are full of openings." said Kagura as she thought about how she would be handling either of them if she was fighting right now.

"I'm confident that any of us here could easily handle them." said Max with a confident grin.

"I would hope so after the training that all of you have been doing for more than a year now." stated Macao having a proud grin.

"That's true, but all of you need to remember that being overconfident is a bad thing that can get you killed. All it takes is our opponent getting one good hit on you and then it could all be over, which is one of the main reasons that a drake hasn't finished me off yet. Most of them have looked down on me since I'm human, but I have a feeling that's going to change. Not just for me but for all humans, drakes are smart enough to realize that we're not to be looked down upon anymore." said Natsu in a calm voice that let them all know he was serious about this.

"That might have been true at the beginning Natsu, but now you're easily strong enough to take on a drake alone." said Max, hoping to bring back the cheery mood that Natsu just destroyed with his warning.

"Yes from what we've faced so far, but when you are invading a foreign land it's always smart to test them first before you actually make your move. And I believe that is what we just got through, now comes the part where they start showing us what they are really after." he said in the same calm voice while not looking at them since he was still watching the fight.

"Why do you think that they are doing that Natsu?" asked Kei with a slightly scared face.

"It's how I would go about attacking a country. You need to watch for their strengths and weaknesses before you can properly make a decision, which is what I am afraid they are doing right now." he answered.

"What happened to the Natsu who would charge straight in?" asked Macao as he looked at Natsu, seeing the seriousness of the situation by how emotionless he was right now.

"He grew up after the Tenrou Group was taken away from him as he did just that Master Macao." replied Natsu in an angry tone.

"Natsu you couldn't have done anything to prevent that." said Ultear in a calm voice.

"Actually I could have, if I had never gotten hurt by Zechum I would have been with them from the start and could have given them enough time to escape with the Council." he replied while continuing to watch the fight rather than looking at any of them.

"Why does it sound like you wouldn't have been returning with them?" asked Warren with a serious face, as Natsu remained silent.

"Natsu, please say you aren't think that it would have been better for you to die instead of them going missing?" asked Ultear as she looked up at him.

"Natsu why aren't you responding?" asked Meredy with a worried look on her face.

"Looks like it's my turn, wish me luck." said Natsu as he got up and gave Ultear a quick kiss before jumping into the arena.

"Ten points to Lamia Scale everyone, which puts them into first place with fourteen points and second place is a tie between Sabretooth and Fairy Tail at ten. But Fairy Tail has yet to fight today, and it would appear that Natsu Dragneel the legendary Salamander is going to be their fighter today!" announced Chapati as Natsu made his way to the center of the arena as the crowd cheered him on.

"You don't really think he's actually thinking that way do you?" asked Kei as she looked at her fellow guild members hoping to be told that she was wrong.

"It would appear so, but you need to remember that Natsu is just like everyone else and has self-doubts and still feels guilty that he couldn't prevent it from happening. And it would seem that he's come up with a new way of placing the blame on himself, but just like last time he'll soon realize that thinking that way won't solve anything. And that he couldn't have changed anything even if he was there with them. He just needs some time." answered Macao with a slight frown as he watched Natsu wave to the crowd with a smile on his face.

"Here is a quick video of what Salamander can do!" said Chapati as footage of Natsu's fight with the drakes was put up on the screen.

"I really need to hit Jason for that." mumbled Natsu to himself as he watched the footage play, which was mainly the highlights of the long battle.

"So who is Blue Pegasus going to send out to face the Salamander?" asked Chapati as a camera showed the Blue Pegasus team discussing with themselves. And you could tell that most of them were too afraid to go and face Natsu in a fight.

"Come on guys I don't have all day." taunted Natsu as he looked at the Blue Pegasus team.

"I feel that I should remind all teams that it's okay to surrender at any time." said Chapati and the crowd instantly started to boo at the suggestion. Since this was what most of the audience was waiting for, a chance to see the infamous Salamander fight.

"That won't be necessary Chapati, since I will go against Salamander." said Ichiya as he made his way through his team, which was now telling him to reconsider this.

"The ace of Blue Pegasus verse Salamander of Fairy Tail, this ladies and gentlemen is going to be one interesting fight." announced Chapati as the crowd went wild.

"Hello Ichiya, I'm surprised you are actually going to fight me." said Natsu with a smile as they both got into the appropriate positions.

"Well Natsu, it's not every day that you get a chance to fight the man that held off the drake invasion. The one and only Salamander, who actually turned down being a Wizard Saint because he had better things to deal with if the rumors are to be believed." said Ichiya with a grin.

"Sounds like the old me, just wanting to face a strong opponent. And it's actually true about the whole Saint thing, and after that invasion I'd say I chose correctly." replied Natsu as one of his hands tapped the handle of Dragon's Remorse.

"Salamander has just confirmed that he turned down the position of Wizard Saint to fend off the drakes everyone. And this is all happening before the match has even started, which is actually starting right now." announced Chapati as the two fighters remind motionless even after the starting of the match.

"Impressive Salamander, the old you would have charged me right away." stated Ichiya as he continued to watch Natsu.

"Not really Ichiya, I haven't charged you yet since I feel like it would be unfair since I have a weapon and you don't." replied Natsu with a smug look on his face.

"I don't use weapons Salamander, but thanks for the consideration. But let's get this started shall we **POWER PERFUME!** " he said as he took out his vile and inhaled it.

"That's the same thing you used to take out the crystal during the Nirvana incident right?" asked Natsu as he watched Ichiya's body turn into that of a muscle bound freak.

"That it is Salamander, because I know I need to take this fight seriously right from the beginning." replied Ichiya as his spell was finally complete.

"If that's your mind set Ichiya I'll have to take this serious as well, otherwise I'll definitely lose which I can't allow." he replied as Ichiya charged him. But Ichiya instantly came to a halt as Natsu was suddenly consumed by flames and Smoke swirling around with each other, effectively blocking him from everyone's sight. All of this was followed by a huge magical power being emitted from the center of the pillar of fire and smoke that was now calming down.

"What did you just do Salamander?" asked Ichiya as he looked at the large shadow of a man in the center of the fire and smoke that was about to die out.

"I simply decided to follow your example Ichiya." he replied as the pillar was now completely gone, which gave everyone a full view of his new appearance. Natsu was now the size of Laxus and had the muscles to match, rather than bulging with muscles like Ichiya. Natsu's looked like his came from actually fighting and all of it was tailored to give him the most strength while not getting in the way at all. But the thing that Ichiya notice was the scale pattern that covered most of Natsu's exposed skin, which he couldn't help but think of as scales.

"Who knew that you could do such a thing Salamander." replied Ichiya as he continued to wonder how Natsu achieved this.

"Alright then Ichiya, let's get this started." said Natsu as he charged Ichiya at astonishing speeds and threw a punch that Ichiya was just barely able to block. Ichiya slid back a few yards as his feet dug into the ground trying to stop him.

"Impressive Salamander." he said while smirking back at the dragon slayer. As he then launch himself at Natsu, now with his own attack ready to be sent at the dragon slayer. The audience then watched as the two men seemed to go pack and fourth with each other, always waiting for the other opponent to do an attack before they would retaliate.

"It would appear that these two have agreed to some sort of duel everyone. Where they are taking turns at attacking the other with a physical attack of their choosing. One can only wonder why Salamander would be doing such a thing when his attacks would become ten times as strong if he put his magic behind them." announced Chapati as the crowd cheered on the unorthodox fight that they were watching.

"What is Salamander using right now?" asked Sting with a smile as he watched Natsu catch a punch thrown at his face. And in Ichiya's moment of surprise landed an uppercut to the man sending him flying up and back a few yards.

"I haven't seen it before." stated Meredy.

"Me either." replied Kagura.

"It's another stage of Dragon Force, I'm pretty sure it's the third one." answered Ultear as she watched her boyfriend get hit in the gut and launched into the other side of the arena.

"Since when can Natsu use stage three?" asked Rogue as he looked at Ultear with a look that demanded she give him answers.

"For a few months now, he can actually use stage four as well. But Salamander said that four was going to take a long time for him to master since it is a really unique one compared to the rest." said Cobra.

"And why didn't he tell us about any of this?" asked Sting as he glared at the older dragon slayer.

"Salamander didn't tell you two because just at the mention of Dragon Force you go all crazy and want to do nothing but learn how to do it yourself." answered Cobra as he pointed an accusing finger at Sting.

"So what, Salamander looks awesome while using it and becomes even stronger than he normally is. So of course I would want to do that as well." replied Sting.

"Just trust him on this Sting, Natsu is always thinking about what's best for us." stated Rogue with his usual expressionless face.

"Fine Rogue, but what can he do with stage four Cobra?" asked Sting as he looked at the other dragon slayer that was actually present. Who now had a cringing expression on his face because Natsu just landed a kick to the side of Ichiya's face.

"I don't know, but apparently Salamander is having troubles with it which means it's very complicated." said Cobra as he watched Ichiya struggle to get back up after that blow. But to the audiences surprise he actually did and once again charged at Natsu, effectively starting up their weird fight again.

"How is Natsu learning all of this stuff?" asked Cole since he had been with Fairy Tail the least out of the group.

"He gets most of it out of that old book he's always reading from whenever he has free time. But a lot of it is him just making it up as he goes." answered Ultear with a smile as Natsu landed a punch to Ichiya's gut.

"Oh you're talking about that book that only he can read." stated Sting with a grin because he knew what she was talking about.

"Yep, a book that can only be read by dragon slayers." replied Ultear.

"Wait a minute if only dragon slayers can read it then why can't Sting?" asked Laki.

"I can't either." said Cobra as he noticed that the fight was going to end any second now.

"Don't look at me, I can't read it either but I did notice that Natsu's tattoo is actually inside of his book." said Rogue, who never liked being the center of attention.

"That's weird, how is Natsu able to do something that the rest of you can't?" asked Meredy to herself out loud.

"My guess would be that he was the only one actually taught to read by his dragon." answered Ultear, who still didn't know why Natsu got that tattoo on his left shoulder of that dragon emblem.

"That makes sense since Cobra didn't have a dragon and Sting and Rogue where probably only taught the necessities since they were both so young." said Macao while nodding his head in approval.

"There you have it folks, Salamander has defeated Ichiya the ace of Blue Pegasus. But what did you expect from the hero of Fiore, well that was an exciting way to wrap up the first day. Tomorrow we will have twice as many fights and a new event that is sure to have you on your feet." announced Chapati as the crowd cheered.

"Alright guys, we have the lead. So all we have to do now is just keep it." said Natsu after jumping up to them.

"Why didn't you use your magic on him Salamander?" asked Sting now standing right in front of him.

"This was more fun and a really good way to test that stage out." he replied as he messed with Stings hair, knowing that Sting hated it when he did that.

"So how was it Salamander?" asked Cobra.

"Honestly I don't think I'll use that one that often, it feels like I am not actually in my own body and it only enhances my physical strength and defense." he answered with a frown.

"That doesn't sound that bad, well except for not feeling like you were in your own body." said Kei with a nervous smile since she knew how that felt.

"I guess I am just a person who prefers to be more agile than having a lot of power." stated Natsu still having a slight frown.

"Since when Natsu?" asked Macao with a grin.

"Probably since those drakes have been going for my head. And don't get me wrong that stage of Dragon Force is good, but I just think I will use the other ones more often since they take less out of me than that one does." he answered, still not smiling or grinning like he usually would.

"What's wrong Natsu?" asked Ultear as she gave him a quick kiss.

"Do none of you can feel that?" asked Natsu as he looked at all of them.

"No I don't think we do Natsu, what is it?" asked Macao.

"It's hard to explain, just forget that I said that since it's probably just me still feeling uneasy about these games." replied Natsu with a grin.

"If you say so Natsu." said Macao with a concerned look on his face, knowing that Natsu's instincts were usually not wrong about things like this.

"Well who wants to go get something to eat?" asked Natsu as everyone agreed and headed off to the nearest restaurant that all of the dragon slayers agreed on.

 **End of Chapter**

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. So there is day one of the Grand Magic Games, I will probably take one to two more chapters to complete them. But I would love to hear what you want me to do because after I finish them I am going to do another time skip until another big event comes up or is at least on the horizon. So I guess that's enough for this note and as always feel free to leave me a review or pm since I enjoy talking with all of you.**

 **Until the next Chapter**

 **Digem Out!**


	20. An Unusual Meeting

Ch 20: An Unusual Meeting

 **September X786 night of the Frist day of the Grand Magic Games:**

"So what's troubling you Natsu?" asked Ultear as they walked hand in hand through the streets of Crocus later that night.

"What makes you think that something's troubling me?" he asked back with his usual grin.

"Well for starters you aren't smiling as much as you usually do. You are also constantly spacing off, which isn't a new thing for you but now when you're doing it you have a very serious expression." she replied with a concerned glance at him as they continued their late night walk.

"I didn't know I was being that obvious." he replied as he looked at his girlfriend.

"You weren't Natsu, only a few people that know you really well noticed and we're all just concerned about you. Especially since just a few days ago you seemed really excited for these games, like everyone thought you would be when we first learned about them." she stated while resting her head against his shoulder.

"It's about that feeling that I had earlier today." stated Natsu now with a thoughtful look on his face.

"What about it, because you really didn't tell us much about it before?" she asked as they entered the Crocus Gardens near the place.

"How do I put this into words correctly, well let me ask you this first do you know how much most of your moves use of your magic?" he asked while looking at her.

"I'd say that I have a pretty good idea Natsu, but there are a lot of different things that can cause that to change." she replied back to him as they started to look at the some of the flowers that only bloom at night.

"I know that Ultear, probably better than anyone else since my emotions are directly linked to my magic. And because of that along with slayer moves using more magic on average than most I'd like to think that I know exactly how much magic each and every single one of my moves is going to use from my total amount of magic. But ever since I've been here it feels like anytime that I use a spell it uses just a little more than it should." he explained with a frown.

"How much are we talking about here?" asked Ultear with a look of concern now on her face.

"Not much, so little in fact that I think it's the reason that no one else has even noticed it yet. And the only reason that I did was like I said before, I have gotten really good at knowing how much magic I'm using and how much I have left." he replied while now looking at her in the eyes.

"Are you sure that you aren't just imagining this Natsu?" she asked while staring back into his onyx eyes.

"Positive for a few reasons, the first one is that I have all of my emotions in check right now and they are actually better than they usually are thanks to you. And the biggest reason that I know I'm not just imagining this is because my instincts are telling me right now that something about these games aren't right. What's not right about these games I really couldn't tell you but I know that they aren't what they are presenting themselves as." he answered with a stern look that was rarely on his face.

"That's good enough for me, so what do you think we should do about it then?" she asked while giving his hand a gentle squeeze and taking him to see more of the gardens.

"That's what I was going to ask you about Ultear, do you have any idea what could be causing this?" he asked while they continued to walk further into the gardens.

"I can think of a few reasons why something like this could be happening. The first one is that you might be sick and just don't know it yet." she said with a smile as he let out a little growl about that.

"But since you are completely against that idea the only other logical explanations would be that this is the work of some sort of device that I don't know about. Or it could be a new spell someone is trying to use to weaken mages on a large scale basis." she continued with a smile.

"Why would someone want to do either of those two things?" he asked as they came up to a different couple that was visiting the gardens as well.

"If it was the first suggestion then they could possibly be stealing the magic to use for their own purposes. And for the second one think of this Natsu, instead of fighting an opponent completely full on magic you got to fight someone with just half." she said while looking up at him.

"Damn that would make it a hell of a lot easier, but if it's the first thing then why wouldn't they just take a lot at once?" he asked as the other couple started to walk away.

"The reason I would go about taking that little would be to keep my actions hidden from the people that I'm taking the magic from. Which except for you, it would appear that they are doing a very good job at hiding it. Because you just barely noticed that something was off with your magic." she answered as they followed the other couple to the next section of the garden.

"I really don't like the sound of either of those being the case here." stated Natsu with a frown.

"Unfortunately those three options are the most likely scenarios here." she replied with a grin as he gave her a playful glare.

"For the last time Ultear I am not sick, and I rarely get sick thanks to my magic." he stated with a grin.

"From what I know so far about dragon slayers there doesn't seem to be any downsides to it." she stated with a sly grin.

"You might think that but trust me Ultear there are definitely some really big ones." he replied with a chuckle.

"Like what Natsu?" she asked while getting in front of him and stopping him completely.

"Okay, off the top of my head having a better sense of smell really sucks when something smells bad. Also having as good of hearing as we do sometimes lets us hear things that we would rather not hear coming from loved ones." he answered with a slight frown.

"Those really don't seem too bad, especially since both of those things have helped you out of trouble who knows how many times." stated Ultear with a grin.

"True, but like I said Ultear there are some that are only bad like my motion sickness." he stated with a grossed out look now on his face.

"I cured that for you though." she pointed out with another grin.

"You and I both know that you didn't cure me of that, you just made it where I can now tolerate it as long as I'm focused on something else." he replied back.

"That seems cured to me Natsu, and I think we know that couple up there. But because of the poor lighting I can't figure out who it is." she said while gesturing at the couple that they have been trailing for a while now.

"It's Cobra and Kinana." he stated with a smirk as Ultear face lit up at this news.

"Are you sure?" she asked him back with a smirk of her own.

"Of course I'm sure Ultear, we were just talking about me being able to smell better than most dogs." he replied back.

"You never said that you could smell better than most dogs." she said while looking up at him.

"Well I can, and it seems like Erik is finally opening up to her a little more." said Natsu with a smile since it was something he knew was eventually going to happen.

"We should follow them and see how far along its progressing." she suggested with a sly grin.

"I think we should leave them be Ultear and since Erik is a dragon slayer it's guaranteed to not be progressing that fast." he stated as if it was already a fact.

"What if he's not so old fashion as you since he wasn't raised by a dragon." she pointed out still grinning at him.

"He could be, but I still don't want to follow them and spy on what they're doing. Besides Erik would figure out what we're doing within a few minutes if he hasn't already figured out that we're here as well." he explained while leading them down a different path then the other couple.

"You know that you're no fun sometimes." she stated with a pout on her face.

"I'm going to take that as a complement which means I'm no longer as childish as I used to be." he replied as they entered some sort of hedge maze.

"Now don't get ahead of yourself Natsu, you definitely still have your childish moments every now and then. But that's what makes you the man that I fell in love with." she said before giving him a kiss that he readily reciprocated and made more passionate. But all of a sudden he stopped and looked off to one direction intently.

"Why'd you stop Natsu?" asked Ultear with a slight frown since she had a feeling that she could have turned that kiss into something else given a little more time.

"I think I can hear someone else in here with us." replied Natsu as he started to walk away from her.

"So what Natsu, this is a really big place?" she stated after letting out a long sigh and following after him.

"First off it sounded like a young girl who really shouldn't be out this late by herself. And I could have sworn I heard someone very familiar with her." he said while picking up his pace.

"Well doesn't that mean she's not alone and is completely fine?" she asked with a frown knowing that the moment was already gone since Natsu was now set on finding this person in the hedge maze with them.

"We'll see if you think that once we find them." he said with a grin.

"Natsu, you better not be doing one of your stupid pranks again." said Ultear as she glared at him.

"No I'm not Ultear and they aren't stupid." he replied while giving her a slight glare.

"I'm not even going to try and convince you about them being stupid again." she said while remembering how last time his only argument was that he thought it was funny, which was all that really mattered to him.

"Good, so let's go and introduce ourselves." stated Natsu as he turned the corner with a grin. As soon as Ultear rounded the corner she was shocked to find herself in probably the most beautiful part of the whole garden. All of the flowers were lit up in different colors that caused the place to feel otherworldly and in the center of this hidden little garden was a small little koi pond with fish swimming in it. And right next to the pond was a fourteen year old girl with emerald hair wearing an expensive looking dress that was a light shade of green. But what shocked Ultear the most was that in the arms of the girl was a little Celestial Spirit that looked just like Lucy's Plue expect for being white it was a light green as well.

"Hello there, aren't you a little young to be out here all alone?" asked Natsu as he slowly came up to them.

"No I'm not since I'm fourteen years old, besides I have Karu here so I'm not actually alone." said the girl after slightly jumping at the sound of Natsu's voice.

"puu-puun!" said Karu.

"Sorry Karu, I meant nothing by that and I'm actually good friends with a spirit just like you. He goes by the name of Plue and is always with my other friend who just thinks he's the most adorable thing ever." he replied with a grin.

"Puuuu-pun." replied Karu with what the two girls present could only describe as a very cute yet upset face.

"Hey you don't need to tell me that Karu, I know not to mess with you guys." replied Natsu as he bent down so he was closer to Karu.

"Puu-puuuun!" cheered the spirit happily.

"Then friends it is Karu." he stated while getting back up and having a big smile on his face.

"You can actually talk with him?" asked the girl with a suspicious look.

"Of course I can, why would I lie about something like that?" he asked.

"Maybe to try and befriend me since I care about him a lot." stated the girl as she hugged Karu while sending a glare at Natsu.

"Well just so you know Hisui I would never do something like lying to someone to become their friend." he replied while glaring right back at her while Ultear now had her mouth wide open at Natsu using her name.

"How do you know my name?" she asked while backing away from Ultear and Natsu.

"Karu told me of course, while also saying that he would protect you from any danger." he stated while now admiring the garden hidden in the middle of the hedge maze that they were in.

"Okay let's say that I believe you Mr.?" asked Hisui while coming closer to the two.

"It's Natsu, Natsu Dragneel and she's Ultear Milkovich." answered Natsu no longer looking at the girl since he was investigating all of the glowing flowers.

"You're not him." stated Hisui as she glared at the back of his head.

"And what makes you say that?" asked Ultear after finally recovering from finding out who this girl was.

"Natsu Dragneel is one of the strongest mages in all of Fiore. Who has single handedly held off the drakes from laying waste to this country for the last year. So why on earth would someone like that be strolling through the gardens at night?" she asked back defiantly.

"Who says I can't take my girlfriend out on a late night stroll through some gardens?" asked Natsu now glaring at the girl.

"I never said you couldn't, I said that Natsu Dragneel wouldn't do something like that." she stated while glaring back at him.

"But I'm Natsu Dragneel." argued Natsu.

"Then prove it." stated Hisui as she continued to glare at him.

"Puu-puun." said Karu with a smile.

"Well Karu believes me so shouldn't that be enough." he replied while pointing at the little green spirit.

"No, because I can't even understand him and I don't even know if you can." she replied.

"Why don't you show her your guild mark and tattoo Natsu." suggested Ultear with a grin since Natsu's childish side was making an appearance right now. And she loved to just sit back and watch as he got worked up over things that he usually would just laugh off.

"Thanks Ultear that's a great idea. See Hisui, I have a Fairy Tail emblem on my right shoulder and a dragon tattoo on the other." said Natsu as he showed her.

"Anybody who wanted to impersonate him could easily get those." she stated.

"Like hell they could, only Fairy Tail members can have this. And this tattoo is not something you see everywhere else." he replied in a louder tone.

"That tattoo doesn't look special to me." she said while looking at it again.

"Believe me it is Hisui. Okay then how about having Salmon hair." he said while pointing at his hair.

"That's pink and you could have just dyed it." she said with a grin as Natsu's face started to twitch.

"It's not pink for crying out loud and what would I have to do to prove to you that I'm Natsu Dragneel?" he asked.

"How about you show me your magic?" asked Hisui with an excited look.

"Now that's something I can do." he said with an excited look in his own eyes.

"Natsu are you sure that's a good idea?" asked Ultear with a concerned look since they were in the middle of a garden that would easily catch fire if hit by any of his flames.

"Of course I am Ultear see nothing to worry about." he replied while now having his left hand coated in his flames.

"That still doesn't prove you're Natsu Dragneel." stated Hisui with a slight grin as Natsu's face flashed to one of anger for a second.

"What spell would you like to see since you obviously have one in mind?" asked Natsu through clenched teeth.

"I want to see your roar since no other fire mage can come close to it." she replied with her grin growing.

"Natsu this is definitely not a good idea." stated Ultear as she reached for him but was just a few seconds too late.

 **"FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!"** he shouted while shooting his roar straight into the sky. Where it stayed for a few seconds and lit up the gardens with a beautiful glow before disappearing just as suddenly as it appeared. Natsu looked at Hisui after finishing his roar and was surprised to see the bright smile on her face now as she looked back at him in shock.

"You really are him." she stated in a quiet voice.

"I already told you that." he replied with his usual grin only to then start receiving hits from Ultear.

"You're a complete idiot sometimes." yelled Ultear as she continued to hit him.

"Hey I think that's going a little overboard since I was only proving to Hisui who I was." he said while grinning at her as she continued to hit him.

"And that's another reason why I'm hitting you Natsu, you don't even realize who you're standing in front of." she said while stopping her hits to his head and shoulders.

"Of course I do Ultear, she's Hisui and now a friend." replied Natsu still grinning until he picked up numerous scents and noises heading their way.

"You already think of me as a friend?" asked Hisui with a surprised look.

"Yep, or did you think I will do something like that just for anyone?" he asked while starting to look around the area and come up with a battle plan if needed.

"I thought you might have only did that because of who my father is." she replied with slight smile since that didn't seem to be the case here.

"I don't even know who your father is Hisui, but I'd be glad to meet him. But first we have a lot of uninvited visitors heading our way and they seem ready to fight." he said while a grin spread across his face since he could use a good fight right now.

"Don't you dare raise a hand against them Natsu, you've already gotten us into a lot of trouble." hissed Ultear while glaring at him.

"Wait, how do you know that the Royal Guard is closing in on us?" he asked with a surprised look.

"I know that they are coming here because of her and that roar you decided to do." she answered with a glare at him and gesture towards Hisui.

"Why would the Royal Guard come for her?" asked Natsu as he looked at Hisui.

"You really don't know who I am do you?" asked Hisui with a bright smile.

"You're Hisui a Celestial mage who is kind and caring, nothing else really matters to me since it's up to you if you want me to know about it." he replied as he could tell the Royal Guard was going to show up any second now.

"What about everything else, what if I did terrible things up till this point?" she asked wanting to know how he would respond to this.

"Doesn't matter because that is not what I am seeing before me now, which is all that matters to me. Besides I'm from Fairy Tail and we're the guild that loves to give second chances." he stated just as the Royal Guards burst through both entrances of the garden.

"Stay right where you are!" shouted one of the guards as he pointed a weapon at Natsu.

"You're lucky I've been told to stand down already buddy otherwise your face would be in the ground for pointing your weapon at my friends." growled Natsu in a tone that caused the guard to take a step back.

"Step away from the Princess this instant!" shouted a different guard.

"Princess?" asked Natsu as he looked at the Royal Guard and then turned to look at Hisui and Ultear. Ultear was shaking her head at him for not being able to piece all of this together yet, while Hisui could only burst into laughter at his confused look.

"Princess are you alright?" asked one of the guards while she continued to laugh at Natsu.

"You're really the Princess?" asked Natsu with a surprised look as realization then came over him seconds later.

"Yes I am Natsu Dragneel, and you are all free to go since I doubt the Hero of Fiore would let anything happen to me while I'm with him and his girlfriend." replied Hisui with a smile.

"Princess are you sure?" asked one of the guards.

"Of course I am, and if you are wondering about that fire shooting into the air that was because I asked Natsu to do it." she stated still smiling.

"Okay Princess, let's move out men it was only a false alarm." stated the same guard as they turned around and headed out of the little garden.

"A Princess, man I never would have guessed that." he stated with a smirk.

"I'm not surprised that you didn't recognize me since I rarely leave the city and my dad keeps photos of me out of the papers and magazines." stated Hisui with a slight frown.

"Even if he didn't do that I probably still wouldn't have recognized you." he said now smiling at her.

"Really, why do you think that?" she asked finding that an odd comment.

"Because I wouldn't have cared about reading anything like that." he replied only for Ultear to hit him on the back of the head.

"Idiot don't say things like that." she hissed at him.

"Why not Ultear, I could really care less that she's the daughter of the King. And I wouldn't have cared about it before this either, since all that matters is where friends now and I'll treat her like I would anyone else." he stated while glaring at Ultear.

"Natsu, this is a completely different situation here." stated Ultear with a concerned look.

"I don't see how it is?" asked Natsu.

"It isn't Natsu, so please keep being yourself around me like you already planned to do." answered Hisui before Ultear could.

"Told you Ultear." he said while now having a smug look on his face.

"You really are an idiot sometimes." replied Ultear while shaking her head.

"I don't see how I am since I was right this time Ultear." he stated still having that smug look on his face as Hisui giggled at the two of them.

"Only you Natsu could do something like this and not realize how not normal it is." she stated with a slight smile.

"And what do you mean by that?" he asked.

"What she meant Natsu is that everyone treats me as their superior and with nothing but absolute respect because of my father being the King. They act as kind and nice as possible with me all in the hopes to become my friend and gain the power that comes with it. But you already showed me that you could care less about such things and treated me as if I wasn't the Princess, which was nice because it made me feel normal. And I liked that, which is why I said that you should keep being yourself around me." explained Hisui with a bright smile.

"Even if you told me to act differently I wouldn't have since there is only one Natsu Dragneel." he declared with his usual grin.

"I definitely can see that." she replied as she finally took in his appearance. That if she hadn't already gotten to know him slightly would have looked very intimidating despite his pink hair. All of the scars that could still be seen despite him still wearing clothes, especially the three that went over his left eye.

"Well since you finally believe me about being Natsu Dragneel what should we do now?" he asked with his usual grin as he looked at the two girls with him.

"Would it be okay if we talked for a bit?" asked Hisui, nervous since Natsu might actually turn her down since he honestly didn't care about her being the princess.

"Sounds great to me, what about you Ultear?" asked Natsu while looking at her.

"How could I say no to the Princess?" she replied with a smile.

"I would greatly appreciate it if you could try and treat me normally too Ultear." said Hisui with a small smile.

"Of course Hisui, and in that case I need to warn you right now that if you take Natsu anywhere to eat it'll cost you a lot." she said with a warm smile.

"Thanks, and that shouldn't be a problem for me at all." replied Hisui now having a confident smile since Ultear and Natsu were part of a select group that didn't treat her special.

"I could definitely eat." stated Natsu with a grin, causing the other two to giggle at how food seemed to be the only thing that he picked out of Ultear pretty much saying that he was an endless pit when concerning food.

 **The next morning:**

"Good morning Ladies and Gentlemen! And boy do we have a great day ahead of us, which will consist of one more event and a total of six fights." announced Chapati as the crowd cheered in response.

"For those of you who might have missed yesterday's activities here's a recap with the current standings." said Chapati as the screen started to show a highlight real with the rankings off to the side.

1st Fairy Tail = 20

2nd Lamia Scale = 14

3rd Sabretooth = 10

4th Mermaid Heel = 8

5th Blue Pegasus = 6

6th Quatro Cerberus = 2

"Wasn't that a great way to start off these games everybody? Since it's a new day we're going to start off with another event that we calling Aerial Free For All or Affa for short. In this event the competitors are going to try and knock each other off of the polls that you now see scattered all over the arena. So picking someone that is agile and can maneuver on the top of these polls would be advantageous. As with most events all types of magic is allowed and the goal is to be the last one still on top, oh and once you touch the ground you're eliminated." explained Chapati excitedly.

"So who are we sending out to compete in this Natsu?" asked Cole knowing that this wasn't his event since it didn't play to any of his strengths.

"Well it should definitely be someone that is nimble on their feet." stated Ultear as she looked at the arena that had polls in all shapes and sizes scattered around it. The biggest one could maybe hold three different people on it at the same time.

"Laki would be a good candidate since all of the polls are made out of wood." pointed out Droy with a grin.

"True and I can think of a few other members that would be pretty good at this. But one of us has a huge advantage in this event and is guaranteed to win this because of that." stated Natsu as he stood up from his seat with a smirk.

"And who is that Natsu?" asked Macao since he couldn't think of a single member that could easily win this event.

"That would be me of course Master Macao." he said while taking off his coat and scarf that he now wore as a headband and handed them to Ultear.

"How is this event better for you than the rest of us?" asked Meredy as she looked at him questioningly.

"You'll all have to wait and see I guess. Oh and I should probably take this off as well." he stated only to then slip off his sleeveless t-shirt and toss it to Ultear before jumping into the arena.

"Ultear do you have any idea of what he's planning to do?" asked Kagura as she watched Natsu now being displayed on the screen.

"Not the faintest, but he sure seems confident about all of this." she replied with a smirk.

"Natsu is confident about everything he does." stated Meredy with her usual bright smile.

"I can't wait to see what it is, but why did he take off most of his clothes?" asked Kei as she looked at the screen that zoomed in on said dragon slayer. Allowing everyone to see the various scars littered across his body, most of which were presents that he received from the drakes that he took down.

"It would seem that Natsu Dragneel has decided to participate for his team in this event. So now the only question is who is willing to face him after seeing what he's capable of from yesterday's fight and the videos of him battling those drakes?" asked Chapati as the other guilds finally got their own members to enter the arena with Natsu. Who had a mischievous grin spread across his face while he waited to be told where to go.

"Would each contestant step into the portal with their name on it, which will take them to their starting location." said Chapati, but was surprised when one of the contestants asked him a question.

"You did say that any type of magic was allowed right?" asked Natsu still having that grin on his face.

"Yes I did Natsu, and the match will start as soon as the bell rings." continued Chapati as all of the contestants entered their portals. And just like he said, they were now all on pillars on the edge of the arena and had the same distance between the people on each side of them.

"The next minute is for you to all come up with a game plan and mapping out safe routes." explained Chapati as most of the contestants started to do just that. All expect for Natsu who had his hands behind his head and looked like he was just admiring the view from up there.

"It looks like Natsu Dragneel doesn't need this time to plan out his strategy, which also has me curious as to why he's took off most of his clothes before coming in." announced Chapati with a skeptical look.

"You'll see." stated Natsu as he grinned up at him just as the bell rung. All of the contestants except for Natsu instantly started to make their way to the center of the arena as fast as they could. And right before any of them even made it halfway there a large amount of magic was released from Natsu's area. This caused all of them to stop and look his direction since they all knew that he was probably their biggest competitor for this whole tournament.

Right where he started now had smoke billowing around it and was starting to slowly expanded outwards from his pillar and creep into the arena. All the while making it hard for them to clearly see what he was doing while releasing so much magic all at once. But on one expected to hear a pain filled roar come from him as fire shot into the air as other sounds could just barely be heard, which sounded like bones breaking and the tearing of flesh. This lasted a full minute with on one making a move; all of them were waiting to see what he was up to.

"You all didn't have to wait for me before you started to have fun." came the deeper than normal voice of Natsu from inside the twirling smoke that still distorted their view of him.

"But since you did, why don't I show you what you've all been waiting to see." he said as they all watched large shadows stretch out from each side as a long snake like one could be seen swaying back and forth through his legs. They all watched as in one swift movement the smoke was blown out of the way to reveal Natsu now airborne, thanks to the red and black wings that were now coming out of his back. Along with a tail that was colored the same way and keeping him steady as a rock as he floated there.

"You can fucking grow wings and fly!" shouted the mage from Sabretooth who now had a really bad feeling about this.

"Nope this is all just an illusion." replied Natsu with a grin as he flapped his wings to gain more height.

"You have to be kidding me." stated the mage only to dive to another pole and barely held on in order to dodge Natsu's dive at him.

"That I am little tiger, because this is one hundred percent me flying before you. So let's make this event even more entertaining shall we, **FIRE DRAGON'S SMOKE SCREEN!"** he shouted as he then shot smoke from his hands into the middle of the arena. That within the next ten seconds covered all of the polls and the lower halves of all the contestants except for Natsu.

"It would appear that Natsu has made it almost impossible for any of the other contestants to see any of the other polls." announced Chapati as the crowd cheered for that smart move and for Natsu showing off this new form he was in.

"Oh but that's not all Chapati, that smoke has my fire in it as well which means it's soon going to start burning away at the polls they are trying to stand on. Now let's see how lucky you are little tiger." stated Natsu while smiling down at the Sabretooth mage.

"Shit!" was the only response that he could think of as he looked up at Natsu smiling down at him with fire building up on his hands.

"Are you going to try your luck at finding a new pole or are you going to try and fight back?" asked Natsu as he tossed a fireball at the mage who put up his guard. Everyone watched as the Sabretooth mage just barely held off the attack while also still managing to stay on the poll.

"Impressive little tiger, but remember you're dealing with a dragon now." stated Natsu as a wicked grin came over his face as the launched two more fireballs at the mage. Who knew that his only chance was to jump, and everyone watched as he leapt out of the way only to disappear into the smoke as Sabretooth's name was crossed out of the screen.

"Well that's one down four more to go." he said while turning around and looking at the other contestants with the same grin.

"Attack him now!" shouted one of the mages as he sent a jet of water at him. Natsu rolled to the side easily dodging the attack to only see that another contestant decided that the other mage was right and that they should team up and try to take him down. So with his grin only getting bigger by the second Natsu had to take keep on dodging all of the attacks that they were sending his way, which showed off how skilled he actually was at flying with these new wings of his.

"Well that was fun since I haven't used this in an actual fight until today, but we have to finish this event sometime." he said before diving down into the smoke and disappearing from their sight.

"Where in the world did he go?" asked one of the mages only to let out a girly scream as she was pulled down into the smoke. As the crowd watched Mermaid Heel's name get crossed out.

"How the hell can he even see in that smoke?" asked the mage from Quatro Ceberus.

"Because smoke is another form of my magic." replied Natsu as he emerged from the smoke right behind the mage while grabbing him with his tail and soring higher into the sky with him. The crowd watched as Natsu carried the terrified mage up only to let him go with a smile on his face as the man went screaming into the smoke as his guild's name was crossed out just like the rest.

"Who's next?" he asked as he looked at the remaining two contestants.

"Like hell I'll let you take me down Salamander without even a fight!" shouted Ren as he jumped into the air and kicked Natsu back. Shocking the crowd that he'd actually try something like that when he had no idea where the polls were. But they were even more shocked to see Ren shoot out a burst of air while he was falling to clear away the smoke, letting him easily land on one of the polls.

"You could have cleared the smoke away from the beginning!" shouted Yuka as he glared at Ren.

"Yeah but then I wouldn't have been guaranteed one of the top three places." stated Ren as he leapt at Natsu again. But this time was easily caught by him and then held upside down by his foot.

"I was wondering what you were up to Ren, but you really should have waited until it was just you and me to show your hand like that." stated Natsu as he then hurled the air mage down at the smoke. But he was caught off guard when Ren slowed his decent and landed gracefully on another pillar with the help of his air magic.

"You're going to have to do more than that to finish me of Salamander." declared Ren as he jump to a different pillars making his way towards Yuka who was still stuck to his pillar since he couldn't see any of the others.

"Seems that you're right Ren, so let's see how you handle this? **SMOKE DRAGON'S ROAR!** " he shouted as he sent smoke shooting from his mouth at the two other mages and kept it going until nothing could be seen of the arena. And with a new grin on his face Natsu dove into the smoke as the crowd waited to see the results which happened within the next minute. With Ren hitting the ground first and Yuka following only seconds later.

"There you have it folks, Fairy Tail has done it again. This time Natsu being the sole reason that every other competitor was knocked out!" announced Chapati as the smoke dissipated to reveal Natsu standing on one of the poles no longer having wings or a tail. The arena burst into cheers at the event that once again shocked everyone watching at what Fairy Tail is capable of.

"With taking first place yet again Fairy Tail is keeping the number one position but there are still six fights happening today so anything is possible." he continued as Natsu exited the arena so they could clear it for the next fight.

"So what'd you guys think?" asked Natsu with a big smile as he rejoined his team.

"Since when could you do something like that?" asked Jet.

"And what in the world was that?" asked Meredy with an excited look in her eyes.

"What I want to know is when did you have time to even learn that?" asked Kagura who was with him whenever she could be. And yet somehow he even kept this a secret from her and the rest of the guild.

"That is a very good question." stated Ultear as she looked at him with an accusing look. What exactly she was accusing him of wasn't really clear, but Natsu knew that he needed to answer all of these questions quickly or it would only get worse for him.

"I have only just been experimenting with this for the last two months, but I have been reading about it for at least half a year now. And if you couldn't guess that would be stage four of dragon force, which is really different than any of the others." he replied while slipping back on his clothes.

"What makes stage four so different Natsu?" asked Meredy excited to learn more about it.

"The reason it's not like any of the other ones is due to the fact that it has different forms inside of it. And the one that I just used today was the flight form as you all could have probably guessed." he explained while taking his seat again.

"How many other forms of stage four are there?" asked Kei while adjusting one of her bows in her hair.

"Honestly I don't know since I can actually pick certain characteristics to replicate from a dragon in this form and match them with a different one. I'm only supposed to have two otherwise it's too taxing on my magic and can supposedly cause other problems." he replied with a chuckle.

"What type of problems?" asked Ultear in an angry tone.

"Nothing to worry about Ultear since I'm never going to use more than two characteristics at a time." he replied with his usual grin.

"What type of problems Natsu?" she asked him again now glaring at him.

"From what I read from my book it could cause the changes to be permanent, and in some cases even cause death." he said while progressively getting quieter towards the end.

"Death?" asked Meredy as she covered her mouth in horror while staring at him. As most of the other girls had similar reactions to hearing this, but Ultear had a completely different reaction.

"You're never using that form again Natsu." she stated while looking straight into his eyes.

"Yes it could cause death everyone, but then again so could pretty much everything else that I do could be the death of me. And I wasn't meaning the whole drake thing that we're dealing with right now, also you can't force me to stop using it Ultear." he replied as he looked back into her eyes with a determined look.

"Like hell I can't Natsu, and why would you even want to use something that could possibly kill you?" she asked while now glaring at him.

"No you can't Ultear and why would I not use it when all I have to do is not try something stupid and just follow the rules that have been given to me already." he argued back.

"Because when have you ever followed the rules Natsu? I'll answer that for you Natsu never, pretty much the easiest way to get you to do something is to tell you that you can't do it." stated Ultear as she glared at him as a deadly aura could be seen around her.

"That was the old me, I don't do that shit anymore since I no longer have the luxury to do so. Too much is at stake for me to keep doing stuff like that, even though I still really want to. But now too many people are counting on me, so I can't do something as stupid as go against a rule placed only to save my life and nothing more." replied Natsu as he glared back at her.

"So you're saying that even if using three characteristics could save the lives of thousands you still wouldn't use it?" she asked.

"No I wouldn't, because if it does result in my death then who knows how many lives could be lost because of that. Besides I am confident that I will be able to do something else to save their lives other than doing a taboo spell like that. Because you don't die for your friends Ultear, you keep on living for them so you can spend more time together and make more memories." he replied with no trace of deception in his voice.

"Okay Natsu I believe you, but I still don't like that stage." she said with a smile as he wrapped her in his arms around her while she rested her head against him.

"I'll only use it when I have no other option just for you." he whispered in her ear causing her smile to only get bigger.

"And just like that you two are back to being all lovey dovey?" asked Jet while looking at the two as if they were crazy.

"Why wouldn't we Jet, we both now know what the other is thinking and can understand where they're coming from? So of course we're back to how we usually are, which isn't all lovey dovey as you call it." replied Natsu with a slight glare since he didn't like being called that. Even though that was exactly what he was when with Ultear and they weren't doing anything for the guild at all.

"It just looked like the two of you were about to actually start fighting each other seconds ago, which I haven't actually seen." stated Jet with a slightly disappointed look.

"Hey he's right, why haven't the two of you ever sparred with each other?" asked Laki with a little grin.

"Who says that we don't?" asked Ultear with a sly grin that caused a few of the girls to have slight blushes at what she was insinuating.

"What every the two of you do together at night is stuff that you should keep to yourself. But honestly why haven't we seen you two spar with each other?" asked Droy with a smirk, because of course Ultear would try and change the subject like that.

"That isn't actually true since I've seen them fight." stated Meredy with a bright smile.

"I've only seen them duel each other once and it isn't something that I'm going to forget." included Kagura as she nodded her head.

"Well I still haven't." said Kei with a prominent pout since she felt left out now.

"See we've fought before." pointed out Natsu as the first fight started.

"Yes apparently you have Natsu but why haven't the two of you done it in front of the rest of the guild?" asked Macao as he looked at his two strongest mages.

"Is it really that odd for us to not fight each other?" asked Ultear with a content smile as Natsu's grip around her tightened ever so slightly during this conversation.

"Yes it is considering that it's Natsu we're talking about here." stated Macao.

"Hey, what does that mean?" asked Natsu as he glared at all of them.

"It means that they all still remember you as the idiot that only wanted to fight strong opponents." replied Cobra with a smirk only to turn back to the fight since it was more interesting than the conversation that his team was having.

"What do you mean remember him like that Cobra, he's still that way now?" asked Jet.

"What are you talking about Jet that is the last way I would ever describe Natsu since I've known him." stated Kagura as she glared at the mage with a glare that would have most men quivering in their boots.

"I've got to agree with Kagura on this one as well." said Kei with a weaker glare than the swordswoman.

"Me too." said Meredy who was still smiling because she only really ever lost it when fighting or talking about something actually serious.

"Since I joined I've never actually seen Natsu challenge anyone." stated Cole with a confused look as all of the older members realized that he was actually right.

"That's because Salamander is the strongest that Fairy Tail has to offer." cheered Sting with a big smile spread across his face.

"Or maybe he is just saving his energy for if a drake randomly shows up." suggested Rogue with a thoughtful expression that didn't belong on someone as young as him.

"Wow, have you not actually challenged anyone since the incident?" asked Max as he looked at the dragon slayer.

"If you exclude what I did to Twilight Ogre, Cobra and Jiemma then yes I haven't." replied Natsu with a smug grin.

"How did none of us notice?" asked Laki with a slightly embarrassed look.

"Probably because you've all been so busy training with him whenever you get the chance. And he's always sparing with someone in the training grounds during the days that he's at the guild, so you probably just thought it was him challenging other people." said Ultear with a warm smile, happy that she actually listened to Natsu after she saved him and joined Fairy Tail which quickly became her second real family.

"When the whole time it's been all of you guys challenging me, which I am extremely proud of." said Natsu with a grin that they all knew quite well after seeing it on him often.

"You've really grown into a great mage Natsu, Master Makarov and the rest would be proud of you." stated Macao with a proud look on his face.

"Thanks Master Macao, and that's what I've been trying to do." he replied as he started to stretch.

"Master Macao's right Natsu, I bet even Erza would be impressed by what you've done." said Laki with bright smile.

"I bet she'd still try to beat you up for chasing after them, that is if she even could anymore." said Warren with a little chuckle that the rest joined in on.

"Why are you stretching Natsu?" asked Droy with a slightly confused look.

"Because Salamander plans to fight again." stated Cobra not even looking at them since he could already guess the shocked looks on most of their faces.

"What?" asked most of them except for a select few that saw something like this coming from a mile away.

"Cobra's right and there is no need for that since we both could hear all of you from the other side of the arena." replied Natsu as he glared at them.

"Sorry you two, but you already fought Natsu so you can't do it again." stated Macao as he looked at the mage who only had a huge grin on his face right now.

"Oh but I can Master Macao, the rules never say I can't keep fighting which is exactly what I plan on doing since you forced me into these games." he said with a grin that irked Macao to no end.

"But that's completely idiotic." stated Macao.

"It might be, but that's what I think about this whole thing anyways. Besides won't it be hilarious when I keep going out there and winning." he responded with smirk.

"Natsu don't you think the rest of your team should participate?" asked Macao as he glared at him.

"Nope, unless the next event doesn't suit me or I don't feel like doing it. Besides you seem to be the only one angry about me doing all of the fights." he stated while gesturing to everyone else who all had little smirks on their faces.

"You're all okay with this?" asked Macao as he looked at them.

"Master Macao you had to see something like this coming when you forced him to be the team captain. Also you didn't find it odd that Natsu kept reading the rules for this thing over and over again? I knew right away he was looking for something that he could exploit like this." said Warren as he smiled at his Master.

"Still, none of you are upset about this?" he asked wanting to make sure.

"After everything he's done and keeps doing for us, shouldn't we let him cut loose and have fun with some of his friends from other guilds?" asked Laki as she smiled at Macao too.

"We have by far one of the strangest guilds ever." he replied now having a grin of his own.

"And that's what makes it Fairy Tail and I wouldn't trade that for anything else in the world." said Natsu as he slung his arm around Macao's shoulder.

"Me either Natsu." he agreed as Natsu grinned at him.

"Well now it's my turn." stated Natsu as he jumped into the arena while doing a flip.

"What's this everyone? It appears that Fairy Tail is sending out Natsu Dragneel again!" announced Chapati excitedly.

"Wait a minute isn't that against the rules?" asked Lyon who had been waiting to see who Fairy Tail would send out.

"Sorry Lyon but it's not, there is no rule saying that I member on the team can't participate in multiple fights or events. The only reason that they have the teams as big as they do is an extra precaution set up to make sure the teams will always have enough members to participate." replied Natsu as he grinned back at Lyon.

"For those of you that are wondering Natsu is correct about everything he just said, which means we get to see him fight once again. Hopefully it'll be just as exciting as the last one we watched!" announced Chapati as the crowd cheered at this pleasant surprise, well at least for the viewers that is.

"Well I guess it doesn't really matter since I've wanted to challenge you since we first met all those years ago." stated Lyon now getting into his battle stance.

"It really hasn't been that many years Lyon, just over two if I'm not mistaken." he said with a grin while still just standing there normally.

"True, but I can tell that you've changed a lot Salamander." said Lyon as the bell rung, expecting Natsu to rush him. But instead he only continued to stand there grinning at him as if all of this was a joke to him.

"You know you can just call me Natsu, and considering the things that have happened in these last two years of course I've changed." he stated still standing there.

"True, and what can I say Salamander except for it just feels appropriate to keep calling you that since we are once again against each other." replied Lyon as he watched Natsu cautiously.

"I can see your point Sub-Zero Emperor, makes me remember the times when it was only other mages going for my head." he said with a smirk.

"You're taking all of this as a joke aren't you?" accused Lyon in an angry tone, once again realizing why Grey seemed to always be fighting Natsu.

"Sorry Lyon but yeah I kind of am, but that's because you're no match for me." he stated still grinning at him.

"That's where you'd be wrong Salamander, I have always been a superior Ice Mage when compared to Grey." said Lyon in a slightly angry tone.

"That's probably true Lyon but it still won't help you in the slightest when facing me." he said in a confident tone while still not even getting into a battle stance.

 **"ICE-MAKE: PRISON!"** shouted Lyon as cage of Ice formed around Natsu.

"Grey can make something very similar to this." stated Natsu as he tapped one of the bars with is knuckle.

"Of course he can but you won't be able to get out of mine Salamander, which leaves you wide open. **ICE-MAKE: EAGLE!** " he shouted as a swarm of ice eagles flew from him and went straight at Natsu and slipped through the bars. But to Lyon's shock a steam cloud formed as soon as they got close to the dragon Slayer.

"I definitely have to agree that you're stronger than Grey by quite a lot Lyon, especially with that Dynamic Ice-Make you use. But like I said before it doesn't really matter since you're facing a fire dragon slayer." replied a voice from inside the steam cloud that everyone knew was Natsu's.

"I have no idea how you melted them Salamander, so I'll have to use something stronger. **ICE-MAKE: APE!** " he yelled as a giant ape out of ice appeared in front of him. That then took a few steps forward and started to throw punches into the cloud of steam and did that for a few more seconds.

"I'm starting to understand why drakes like to hide out of sight like this. It makes dodging moves really easy while your opponent wastes their energy accomplishing absolutely nothing. But it's also boring too so screw it lets finally get this match started, **FIRE DRAGON'S CRUSHING ELBOW!** " shouted Natsu as he came flying out of the steam and right at the head of the ape. And in the next second he brought down his flaming elbow onto its head and everyone watched as it shattered into little flakes of ice as he gracefully landed where the ape used to stand.

"How is that even possible?" asked Lyon as a completely unharmed Natsu stood before him after taking out one of his strongest creations with just one move.

"Lyon I've almost taken out twenty drakes over these past two years, did you think it was just a fluke? Or did you think that the drakes where just really easy to take out since I was doing it all by myself?" he asked while adjusting his headband.

"To be honest both of them a little bit and I'm going to prove that right now! **ICE-MAKE: SNOW TIGER!** " shouted the ice mage as a tiger shot out from his magic circle and instantly charged at Natsu who only let out a sigh.

"Really Lyon, after what you just tried?" asked Natsu as he raised an arm towards the tiger that just leapt at him. The tiger got to wear its head was only a foot away from Natsu when it all of a sudden it turned into water and fell to the ground.

"Impossible, **ICE-MAKE: EAGLE!** " he shouted in disbelief and pummeled Natsu with them. But to his horror they too were stopped before they even reached the dragon slayer and were reduced to little poofs of steam.

"You might as well surrender Lyon." stated Natsu with a sinister grin as he walked towards him slowly.

"Like hell, **ICE-MAKE: WOLVES!** " shouted Lyon as both of his fists now had the heads of wolves on them as he charged at Natsu.

"Do you really think you can beat me in hand to hand combat Lyon?" asked Natsu as he easily dodged all of the strikes.

"Grey seems to be able to deal with you this way so why couldn't I?" he replied while trying to land an attack on him.

"You do know that we're both just messing around when we're fighting and that he has had years of practice against me?" asked Natsu with a little grin as he remembered all of the stupid fights the two of them got into.

"Doesn't matter since even you said that I am a stronger Ice Mage." he shouted out in anger that Natsu was still just toying with him.

"Yes but that doesn't mean you're better than him at hand to hand combat, but fine have it your way Lyon." said Natsu as he dodged a right hook of Lyon's and then countered with a strong strike to the mage's gut. That he then followed with a sweep of the legs, completely catching Lyon of guard only for Natsu to continue with a kick to his chest and sending him to the ground. But Natsu wasn't done just yet; he picked Lyon up and started to strike at any unguarded spot with shocking speed and precision. Only for him to finish his brutal assault with a hard kick to the ice mage's head sending him to the complete other side of the arena.

"Ready to give up yet Lyon?" he asked as the mage was struggling to get to his feet.

"Far from it Salamander, **ICE-MAKE: SNOW DRAGON!** " shouted Lyon as a long serpent like dragon came rushing from him and right at Natsu on the other side of the arena. Who at the moment had his head down not even watching the move that was closing in on him fast.

"You dare call that weak thing a dragon? **FIRE DRAGON'S PIERCING SLASH!** " he shouted now completely engulfed in his own flames as he slashed downwards with one arm as the ice dragon that was right in front of him. Only for it to be instantly cut in half straight down the middle and fall to both sides of Natsu as he started to walk towards Lyon still surrounded by flames.

Lyon was completely stunned by this, but that wasn't the thing that kept him rooted to his current position. What did that to him was Natsu's slow but menacing walk towards him as the dragon slayer seemed to finally reveal at least some of the magic that he now had at his disposal. And along with showing him how much stronger he was than him, it also made him see what a true dragon was like. Because Lyon would swear on his life that during these agonizing seconds, behind Natsu stood a magnificent red dragon that looked down on him in rage at being compared to his cheap creation.

" **FIRE DRAGON'S CRUSHING IRON FIST!** " shouted Natsu as he punched Lyon square in the face sending said mage straight through a wall thanks to the enhanced power he got from the fire shooing out of his elbow.

"Shit, I think I might have over done it a little bit." he said now back to normal as he looked at the hole he just made by sending Lyon through the wall.

"Do you think so Natsu!" shouted Laki as she and the rest of Fairy Tail glared at him.

"Okay I did, but he tried to say that thing he created was a dragon." he shouted back at them.

"And that means you send him through the arena wall?" asked Macao angrily since he knew that they would have to pay for it.

"He's lucky that's all I did to him, and you're only mad since we're going to have to pay for that." he shouted back at his master with a glare.

"Of course I am Natsu, how are you even able to destroy a wall like that when they have protective runes on them?" asked the older fire mage as he continued to glare at his mage.

"How should I know, and apparently the runes suck because that wasn't even close to one of my strongest moves. Also quit glaring at me like that Master Macao, I'll pay for the damages myself like I've always done since you became Master." he stated as he stood there in the middle of the arena.

"Okay then Natsu." replied Macao with a smile, shocking everyone watching that apparently all he was ever concerned about was losing the guild's jewels.

"It seems that Lyon is fine everyone but won't be able to continue the fight, which means that Natsu Dragneel. The famous Salamander and Hero of Fiore has one another fight for Fairy Tail!" announced Chapati as the crowd burst into cheers at the great battle they just watched. All thankful that Lyon was alright but definitely more excited by Natsu waving to them with one of his usual grins on his face.

"Well we need to move onto our next match everyone which happens to be Fairy Tail verse Mermaid Heel!" he announced as the crowd cheered at the news since Fairy Tail, or more specifically Natsu, seemed to make everything he did entertaining to watch. And all of them hoped to see him do something like that again, but didn't have very high hopes for that considering he already participated twice today.

"And if I'm not mistaken, it would appear that Salamander is going to stay and fight whoever Mermaid Heel sends out. After watching what he just did to Lamia Scale I can only imagine that there aren't that many mages wanting to go out and face him." said Chapati as the crowd quieted down to see if he was correct about Natsu still fighting.

"You are correct Chapati, and I'm fine with getting a surrender as long as my guild gets the points." stated Natsu with a smirk as the crowd cheered at the chance of him fighting again.

"Your team would get the points Natsu, but I'm sure that your fans and everyone else would be disappointed to not see you fight again." he replied as the crowd cheered even louder.

"Well if that's the case then they better start cheering for Mermaid Heel to send out a fighter." suggested Natsu with a smile. Within the next two minutes the whole arena was cheering for Mermaid Heel to fight him and actually hoped that they would take him down.

"We were really close to surrendering you know." stated Millianna as she jumped into the arena with a smile on her face.

"I'm glad that you didn't because I don't know if we ever would have fought each other otherwise." he replied back with a grin.

"Probably not since you are clearly stronger than me." she said with a mischievous grin now replacing her smile.

"You know just as well as I do that power doesn't mean everything. If it did then there is no way that I would be standing here right now after fighting so many opponents that are stronger than me." he said as the bell rung signaling the start of the fight, which neither of them cared about at the moment.

"True but I along with a few others have always thought that you have been hiding your true strength for a while now for some reason." she said while her tail swished back and forth happily.

"Maybe I did before Millianna, but I definitely don't think I am doing that now." he stated as he watched her intently, knowing that if she got those tubes of hers on him then he could be in trouble.

"So you're saying that this is your full power?" she asked with a sly grin.

"I never said that, what I said is that I am confident that I'm not trying to keep my true strength hidden or anything like that. And since when did you have a tail?" he asked while pointing at it.

"Oh this I just got it a month ago and love it so much already. Now back to you showing all of us your real power." she replied with a smile.

"I never said that I would do that." he stated with a grin.

"Come on Natsu, doesn't everyone want to see what the Salamander has in him? How much power does it take to easily handle the drakes like you did in that video?" asked Millianna causing the crowd to start cheering for him to do it.

"Do you think he'll actually do it?" asked Meredy with an excited look.

"Since it's Natsu it's completely up in the air." stated Ultear with a smile.

"No he'll definitely show them some of his power, but I am betting only fifty percent." said Cobra as he continued to watch the two competitors that haven't even started to fight yet.

"And why do you think that Cobra?" asked Kagura who only ever really thought she might have witnessed Natsu at full strength when he fought Aries to get Kei back to her senses.

"Simple, because if he went at full power most of this arena would catch fire since it's completely made out of wood." he replied giving her and the rest of the team an evil grin. Making most of them believe that he was picturing that exact thing in his mind right now.

"I don't think you really want that." said Natsu as Millianna and the crowd kept begging for it.

"Come on Natsu give the people what they want." said Millianna with a bright smile.

"Fine you win, but I warned you that this wasn't a good idea." he replied as the temperature started to rise. Everyone watched as the ground around him started to crack as everything in a five foot radius was slowly burning and only leaving charred marks as it continued to expand outwards. His coat and bandana started to billow as if there was an updraft right underneath him as an orange and black aura was now surrounding him as he continued to release more of his magic.

The people in the front rows were all sweating now as he showed off his power which actually resulted in a few of the spectators passing out since they haven't been around magic as strong as his before. Even the spectators in the farthest rows back could feel the heat coming from the dragon slayer that now had smoke leaking from his body. That only made him look even more intimidating than he already was as Millianna was now on her knees because of the sheer amount of magic he was giving off.

"Is this what you all wanted?" he asked in a deep tone as he glared at the crowd that was now completely silent. Most of them slightly afraid at what he might do, but in the next moment the heat vanished along with his overwhelming magical presence and aura that he was giving off seconds ago.

"Well there you have it everybody." stated Natsu now having one of his usual grins spread across his face. Everyone was completely quite for the next ten seconds until it erupted into cheers at the show that Natsu gave them thanks to their and Millianna's encouragement.

"H-h-how is that even possible?" asked Millianna as she looked up at him in slight fear of his power.

"Through tons of hard work and a few other things that are unique just to me." he replied while walking towards her.

"What kind of things?" she asked hesitantly.

"Things that pertain to me being a dragon slayer and killing drakes, oh and just so you know Millianna that wasn't even me at full power." he whispered to her as the crowd continued to cheer so it wasn't broadcasted to everyone else.

"What?" she asked as he offered her a hand to get up which she took cautiously.

"It's the truth, so you ready for that fight?" he asked with a friendly grin as she looked at him with big eyes and her mouth wide open. And Millianna stayed like that for a few more moments until Natsu got her out of her daze by snapping his fingers in front of her face.

"So about that fight?" he asked again.

"I forfeit." she declared and promptly turned around and walked back to her team leaving a stunned Natsu in the arena.

"Salamander wins again without even doing a spell or throwing a punch. But after what we all just saw who could blame her for not wanting to face him." announced Chapati getting the crowd back to normal as they cheered for Natsu as he went back to his team.

"Show off." said Cobra with a grin as Natsu joined them.

"Hey I was only giving the people what they wanted." he replied grinning back at his fellow dragon slayer.

"Salamander is what Cobra said about you not actually showing your full power just now true?" asked Sting as he sat down next to Natsu in the spot between him and Kagura, which wasn't supposed to be a spot for someone to sit.

"What do you think Sting?" asked Natsu as he messed up the young dragon slayer's hair.

"Stop that, and I bet you didn't even show off fifty percent of your power." stated Sting as he looked up at him.

"Actually that was just a little bit over fifty percent Sting, but if I went any higher than other things would have caught on fire." he said with a slightly proud grin.

"If it's that strong Natsu why don't you use that as an attack?" asked Rogue with a perplexed expression.

"For a few reasons Rogue the first one and main one is what I was doing right there was pretty much letting my magic do whatever it wants. And as you could guess that means I'm not in control of it so people could get hurt, which is why I spent such a long time training you two on managing your magic and keeping it under control." he explained.

"And since you are all dragon slayers your magic is very destructive if not controlled properly. Not only could you hurt someone else but you could hurt yourself if you didn't keep your magic in line with all the different ways Natsu taught you to." stated Ultear with a smile as Natsu nodded in agreement.

"Okay, but what is another reason?" asked Rogue.

"Another reason would be because it's better to keep your magic and choose precisely what you want to do with it and when. Also if you let your magic out like I did it could disappear in large chunks, so pretty much the only reason to ever do what I just did is to intimidate your enemies into not fight you." he continued, hoping that his two students would understand it.

"It's also a good way for two mages to show each other their strength and what they're capable of. Natsu's just showed that he has some of the most destructive magic out there, that can lay waste to anything in his path." said Ultear with a grin.

"Great Ultear, now it sounds like I'm a walking natural disaster." said Natsu with a frown.

"We already thought that about you since you first joined the guild Natsu." said Jet as he started to leave the stands with a big grin.

"Jet don't make me come over there." he threatened while glaring at the speedster.

"I don't think you will since Ultear looks pretty comfy right now." stated Jet with a confident grin as he looked at Ultear leaning against Natsu's chest while he had his arms wrapped around her protectively.

"We'll see about that Jet." he said going to get up but with one look from Ultear he stopped in his tracks.

"Never would have guessed that a woman could actually tame our little dragon." teased Jet, causing everyone but Natsu and Ultear to start snickering at the comment.

"Jet you do know I could actually help him catch you in a matter of seconds, not that he would need it?" asked Ultear with a sinister grin. Causing the speedster to rethink what he planned on saying next.

"You wouldn't would you?" he asked only for Ultear to smile at him.

"Yes she would Jet, she actually loves helping me hunt down our prey." said Natsu while showing off his fangs to Jet.

"Well I just realized I need to be somewhere else." he stated and continued to leave the stands like he was doing when he first made that initial comment.

"Don't worry Jet I can find you no matter where you go." said Natsu as Jet picked up his pace, causing the rest of Team Fairy Tail to start laughing together.

"Where do you think he's going anyways?" asked Laki with an eyebrow raised.

"Who knows, maybe he's trying to pick up some ladies." suggested Natsu causing everyone to look at him as if he was crazy.

"Definitely not that, but I honestly have no idea what else he could be doing." she replied with most of them nodding in agreement.

"Hey Warren." said Natsu, getting the telepathic mage to look at him.

"So do you plan on letting me in on what you saw while looking into Jiemma's mind yesterday?" he asked quietly.

"It's nothing Natsu, just forget about it." replied Warren as he went back to watching the fight.

"It's definitely not nothing Warren, but I can wait." he said while starting to watch the fight that was currently happening.

 **End of Chapter**

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. So yeah it's been a while since I wrote a new chapter for this story, but now that I have I'm probably going to write a few more for it while also working on Broken Dragon. Also the next chapter will be the end of the GMG and I don't plan to ever do another GMG again in the upcoming years until the Tenrou Group returns, I'll probably have you learn about them through conversation or maybe in the bullet points that I do when I do a time skip. Also I plan on having the year and month at the beginning of each chapter from here on out and might go back and change that on the old ones too. Now the last thing I'm going to put in these notes is that I actually have a few things already planned for the remaining years that should be pretty entertaining, but I'm wondering if I should pick up the pace a little more. As of right now I plan to only do around five chapters per year from here on out, which would mean about another twenty more chapters until the Tenrou group returns. Well that's enough of that so like I always say at the end feel free to leave me a review.**

 **Until the next Chapter**

 **Digem Out!**


	21. Number One Guild In Fiore

MD Ch 21: Number One Guild In Fiore

 **September X786 morning of the last day of the Grand Magic Games:**

"Good morning everyone and man have the last two days been exciting, but all of that has been building up for today. Where by the end of it we'll be awarding one of the teams the title of Number One Guild In Fiore and as it stands right now the top four are still in the running. Sorry Sabertooth and Mermaid Heel, it seems that this wasn't your year." announced Chapati as the screen showed the current rankings.

Fairy Tail = 50

Blue Pegasus =36

Lamia Scale = 27

Quatro Cerberus = 20

Sabretooth = 15

Mermaid Heel = 10

"But just since they can no longer get first place doesn't mean they won't have a big impact on the outcome for the other teams. And just like yesterday we're going to be having six fights and one more event, but unlike yesterday we're going to be doing the fights first." he continued to announce as the crowd cheered.

"And it seems like Fairy Tail vs Quatro Cerberus is going to be our starting match of the day, with Fairy Tail vs Sabertooth to end all of the fights for the day. Whoever was in charge of the schedule knew what they were doing when they set it up like this." stated Chapati with a grin as the crowd cheered that their favorite guild was going to start and also be the last of the fights.

"You're going to be doing both of those aren't you?" asked Macao as he looked over at Natsu who had a smug grin on his face.

"As the team captain it's my duty to ensure that we win like you wanted Master Macao. And this was one of the easiest ways for me to do that." he replied still grinning as he then jumped into the arena.

"He's only doing this to show how stupid these games are." stated Cobra with a small grin that was almost a smile.

"Well that and maybe to piss Jiemma off as much as possible." replied Ultear as she looked over at said Guild Master who was constantly glaring at Natsu.

"He should really stop trying to do that to him." said Warren with a frown as he looked over at the Sabretooth Team.

"And why the hell should he do something like that?" asked Jet with Droy and Laki right next to him, wanting to hear Warren's response.

"I don't really think I should say." he stated as his frown only got bigger.

"Warren I think it's about time we fill them in on what you saw." said Macao with a serious expression.

"But what about Natsu Master Macao, he can still definitely hear us." he asked while l turning to look at their Master.

"No need to worry about him hearing since Bacchus and him are talking right now and they are definitely going to be having a fight that will keep him too busy to listen in. Also I think it's pretty clear that none of you are allowed to tell Natsu about any of this." stated Macao with a slight frown since he really didn't like keeping secrets from him.

"Why is this even a secret from him?" asked Kei and Meredy at the same time, while also both having concerned looks on their faces.

"I'm also curious as to why you're keeping things secret from him of all people Master Macao, he would never do anything to harm Fairy Tail." stated Kagura with an upset expression.

"I don't think I can agree to that at all Master Macao." said Ultear as she gave him a deadly glare.

"Calm down you four, and just listen to what Warren uncovered and I am confident that you'll agree to keep this a secret from him." stated Macao.

"That's highly unlikely Master Macao but I guess we'll have to wait and see." she replied still glaring at him.

"I guess that's all I could hope for since you're his girlfriend, Warren could you please inform them of what you saw." said Macao after letting out a long sigh.

"Well I guess I might as well cut straight to the point, Jiemma is a terrible guild Master that only rules by fear." he said.

"We already knew that." pointed out Jet knowing that there had to be more than just that.

"Yes but we didn't know how bad he actually was, and ever since Natsu's little visit Jiemma has become even worse and has gotten rid of any mage that wasn't willing to do everything that he told them to. And when he kicks them out let's just say that it's not very pretty, he has them strip down completely to then remove their guild mark in front of all the other members only to then kick them out the door in that state." said Warren with a very angry expression on his face just like pretty much everyone else had as well.

"That bastard, now I'm wishing that we didn't stop Natsu from tearing into him like he wanted." said Laki barely able to contain her rage that a guild Master would actually do that to his own mages.

"How did he even become their Master?" asked Kagura who was really good at hiding the rage that she had for Jiemma right now.

"No idea but I do have to agree with Laki on what she said." replied Jet as he glared at Jiemma.

"That's not all, every member that didn't win or take us down in the events or fights at these games are going to go through the same thing. Jiemma actually told them all of that before the first day as a form of motivation I think. But the worst part is what I saw him do to his daughter every time she so much as questioned his words, he would actually hit her. And it was an actual hit that you would do in a real fight." stated Warren as you could see the hatred in his eyes for Jiemma.

"He's why I hate most men." growled Laki as she started to think of twisted ways to punish the Master of Sabertooth.

"How could he do that to his own daughter?" asked Kei who now pitted Minerva for having to deal with a father like that.

"Natsu would destroy him if he found out about this." stated Meredy with a sad look.

"And that's exactly why we don't want him to know." said Macao with a frown that kept returning to his face because of the topic they were discussing.

"I think we should let him." said Droy with look of disgust on his face since he knew that most likely all of the mages that tried to help them that day probably got expelled.

"Unfortunately there is nothing that we can do about all of this because every guild is different about how they are run. And if Natsu did attack Jiemma for this then the Council would be forced to step in this time which would make things very ugly very fast. So our best decision is to let this play out and try not to antagonize Jiemma anymore than we already have." he replied still frowning.

"If that is what you want then you should have probably told the person doing all of the antagonizing." stated Cobra with a smirk since he didn't care about what happened at Sabretooth. That is as long as it didn't affect Fairy Tail in a negative way, which slightly surprised him since he didn't think he would ever actually care for the guild like that.

"He's right Master Macao, and I also think you're not giving Natsu enough credit here. Yes he would be furious about finding this out but he wouldn't be so dumb as to charge in like a madman and attack Jiemma. That Natsu died when the Tenrou group went missing and he was the person that everyone started to rely on." said Ultear with an upset expression on her face as she looked at Macao.

"But I don't even want to take that risk." stated Macao with a concerned look in his eyes.

"And you didn't Master Macao, which might have gotten the mages that competed in last two days kicked out of his guild. But as you said it's not our responsibility to look out for them and others like them since they're in a different guild that only cares about power." she replied.

"Ultear you know I didn't mean it like that, but right now we're still in a tricky spot with the Council." he argued while now slightly glaring at her.

"I don't really think we are Master Macao and that's all because of Natsu and what he's done over the last two years. But hey if you want to keep the one person that has done the most for the guild in the dark that's all up to you. Now I would like to watch the end of his match if you don't mind." she said while turning away from him and watching the match like she said.

"It was because of you two that I even have this position." he mumbled to himself as he and the rest of the team decided to watch the match in silence.

 **Back with Natsu when he entered the arena:**

"Ladies and gentlemen if you wanted to witness another fight from Salamander it seems that today is your lucky day." announced Chapati as Natsu jumped into the arena as the crowd started to cheer louder than before.

"You seem to be the crowd's favorite Salamander." said Bacchus before jumping into the arena with a crazed grin on his face.

"And it looks like Bacchus is more than willing to face off against Salamander, which is sure to make an interesting fight between these two S-Class mages." cheered Chapati as the crowd somehow got even louder.

"What can I say Bacchus, they can't get enough of me right now." replied Natsu with a smug grin.

"That they can't Salamander, so what have you been up to lately?" he asked with a smile before he started to drink from his gourd.

"Since there hasn't been any more drakes recently I've been taking it easy." answered Natsu with a smirk.

"Don't give me any of that bullshit Salamander, I don't think you even know what that word means anymore." he said with a smirk of his own as he continued to drink.

"Hey I drank your sorry ass under the table." argued Natsu as he glared at Bacchus.

"That doesn't count since you can't get drunk Salamander." he stated with his smirk getting bigger.

"I'm still going to count that as my victory, and I still know how to take it easy Bacchus. Only my definition of that has changed, I mean not dealing with drakes is definitely taking it easy for me." he said as he got out a cigar and lit it with his lighter.

"I bet you were training ever since that last attack for these game." stated Bacchus after taking another swig from his gourd.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't, but during that time I was mainly focused on training the rest of my team." he replied with a gesture over his shoulder to where team Fairy Tail was located.

"Why in the hell did you do that Salamander, I mean you seem to be the only one competing?" asked Bacchus with a slightly confused look on his face.

"Because I wasn't really training them for this since all of this is really pointless in my opinion. I was training them for the next time they have to help me fend off another drake attack. You can understand why I would want to do that, since it was a miracle that we all made it last time." he answered now with a frown.

"More than most since we weren't as lucky as you guys." stated Bacchus with a frown of his own.

"I'm sorry about that Bacchus, if I was only a little faster." he said with his head down.

"Salamander you have nothing to apologize for, you took on four of those bastards on your own when my whole guild could barely handle one. Only for you to come and save our sorry asses, so don't apologize or even try to take the blame for their deaths. They were both great wizards that died doing something that they believed in which is more than most of us get to do." said Bacchus with a serious look in his eye as he looked Natsu directly in his.

"Never thought that I would hear something like that from you." he replied with a slight smile.

"Hey just because I tend to drink a lot doesn't mean I don't know a thing or two." stated Bacchus with a grin.

"Would you two fight already!" shouted one brave soul from the crowd.

"Well it is the reason that we're both here." said Natsu as a grin made its way across his lips.

"That it is Salamander and I plan to be the first one to take you down." replied Bacchus after finishing the booze in his gourd.

"I feel honored that you are actually getting drunk before we even started." stated Natsu as he got into a defensive stance.

"Of course I did Salamander, I'd be a fool if I didn't after everything I've seen from you." he said with a drunken grin as he took a wide stance.

"Considering that you've been an S-Class mage for a while now and could actually handle Erza I'm not going to hold back either." said Natsu as the two started to walk in a circle, keeping the other one on the exact other side.

"I wouldn't want it any other way Salamander, especially since I don't want to hear any excuses from you after this." he taunted in the hopes that Natsu would attack.

"Is that so Bacchus, then how about we add a little wager to this match?" asked Natsu while they continued to circle each other.

"What did you have in mind Salamander?" he asked with an eyebrow raised.

"The loser has to pay for the tab next time we go drinking together." answered Natsu as he moved his cigar to the other side of his mouth.

"You're on Salamander!" he shouted as he lunged at the dragon slayer catching him slightly off guard. Natsu was just barely able to block the attack with his forearms, while not having the proper footing to receive such a strong hit. This caused him to be sent flying back into the wall of the arena causing most of the crowd to have their mouths drop open.

"Salamander was just sent flying." said Chapati in complete shock as Bacchus started to chuckle.

"Damn Bacchus I think that would have killed a lesser mage." said Natsu with a grin as he touched the spot that Bacchus hit him at while also picking up his cigar of the ground that flew out of his mouth after the hit.

"Oh come on Salamander, I know I can go all out against you which is something I don't get to do that often." replied Bacchus with a grin that was wiped away as he had to block a kick from his opponent. Pushing him back five feet and leaving large skid marks in the ground since he was able to keep his footing unlike Natsu moments earlier.

"And it looks like it might be the same for me if you exclude drakes of course." said the dragon slayer with a crazed grin now on his face as he launched himself at Bacchus.

"This is so wild!" shouted Bacchus as he charged in as well. This resulted in both of their attacks hitting each other and causing a giant burst of energy to shoot from the two of them. That blew the dirt and dust away from the two fighters in the center of the arena.

Both then launched into a series of strikes and other combinations all in the hopes of breaking through the other's guard. For the first minute it looked like they were evenly matched until Bacchus all of a sudden started to land more blows than Natsu. And it continued on this way for another five minutes ending with Natsu being launched into the wall and leaving an indentation of himself in it.

"Shit Bacchus, your hits are what I imagine being hit by a train feels like." said Natsu as he cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders.

"Thanks Salamander, but how are you even standing after being hit like that?" asked Bacchus who was hoping that Natsu would stay down after that last hit.

"Bacchus I was getting hit like that since I was seven years old, so of course I can take stuff like that all day. I mean I was raised by a dragon for crying out loud, but seeing as we only have a few more minutes left I think I'm going to have to start using my magic. Otherwise this is going to end in a draw which I can't allow." he said while putting a new cigar in his mouth and lighting it with his fingers since he finished the other one.

"Salamander is finally going to start using his magic!" cheered Chapati who was barely saying anything during most of the fight.

"Let's do this Salamander." said Bacchus with a crazed grin as he charged at Natsu. He tried to strike him in the face but was shocked when his hand went straight through his face and causing black smoke to shoot out.

"What the hell?" asked Bacchus with his hand still were Natsu's head should have been.

"Nifty trick right?" asked Natsu as his head reformed to the side with it being out of the way of Bacchus's attack.

"You have to be kidding me." said Bacchus with a look of disbelief.

 **"FIRE DRAGON'S IRON FISTS!"** he shouted as he laid into Bacchus who still had his guard down sending fiery fist after fist at the mage trying to get his guard back up, which he did after taking a few strong hits.

"You're one tough son of a bitch Bacchus, **FIRE DRAGON'S SMOLDERING EMBERS.** " he said with a grin while adjusting the cigar that he still had in his mouth somehow. Bacchus who was thinking it was a new attack of his was surprised to see that the only thing that changed was black smoke was now coming off of Natsu whenever he moved.

"What type of move was that?" he asked while keeping his guard up.

"One that guarantees my win before the match is declared a draw, unless you can breathe smoke like me. **FIRE DRAGON'S TALON!** " shouted Natsu as he jumped into the air and brought his foot down on Bacchus. Said mage easily dodged it with a side step and countered the move with a few blindingly fast strikes that would have caused Natsu severe damage if they didn't go through his body again.

 **"FIRE DRAGON'S SLASH!"** he shouted as he swiped his arm horizontally at Bacchus. Who thanks to his quick reflexes was able to only make it a flesh wound, but couldn't stop the grunt of pain that came with it because of the burning sensation that he was now feeling.

"Okay Salamander what the hell are you doing?" asked Bacchus as he glared at his opponent.

"Which part are you talking about Bacchus?" he asked back with a grin.

"All of it, especially the part about why my lungs and cuts feel like they are on fire?" asked Bacchus in a slightly angry tone.

"That's because they kind of are, anything that comes into contact with my smoke starts to burn and as you already know it's not a good sensation. So how about I end this right now, **FIRE DRAGON'S SMOLDERING ROAR!** " shouted Natsu as he unleashed a roar at Bacchus. But unlike his normal roar this one had his black smoke mixed in with it, making it look even more intimidating as the black and orange swirled together.

Bacchus tried to dodge it but thanks to him being slightly out of breath because of the smoke that he inhaled he wasn't able to and the crowd watched as he took on almost the full force of Natsu's roar. As the roar was stopped they were shocked to see Bacchus still standing there with a crazed grin on his face as he looked at Natsu.

"And this is why I called you a tough son of a bitch." stated Natsu with a smile as he slowly walked towards the mage.

"Thanks Salamander, the same is definitely true about you." replied Bacchus as he barely remained standing.

"I kind of had to be otherwise I wouldn't be here right now Bacchus, and just so you know. You were going to win if we kept this strictly a hand to hand combat fight, but since it wasn't I decided to have some fun and win in the process." said Natsu while moving his cigar to the other side of his mouth.

"Oh I could see that Salamander, but like you said this was a fight where all that matters is who won. And now it looks like I'm going to have to pay for those drinks we're going to be having sometime soon." he said with a smile, right before falling flat on his face.

"Salamander wins and he did it with a dual elemental roar!" announced Chapati as the crowd went wild at the conclusion of the fight that looked like Natsu was the closest to possibly losing.

 **With Sabretooth:**

"Look at that arrogant bastard he thinks he's untouchable." growled Jiemma as Bacchus fell to the ground.

"Dad I don't think I'll be able to defeat him." said Minerva nervously after once again seeing how far above her Natsu actually was.

"What was that Minerva?" he asked while turning to look at her with an angry expression.

"I said I don't think I can beat him." she replied while looking away from him.

"And why not Minerva, because you better otherwise you will suffer the same fate as those other losers. Don't think that just because you're my daughter I'll treat you any differently, weak is weak." he declared while glaring at his daughter.

"How do you expect any of us to be able to contend with him?" she asked in a louder voice.

"Because that is what I commanded you to do, besides he's like any other mage out there and has a weakness. All you need to do is find what it is and then exploit it." he replied as he got up from his seat so he was towering over her.

"But that's still unreasonable." she declared as she glared back at him.

"How so Minerva?" he asked as both of them tuned out what was happening around them.

"Because you couldn't even do anything to him, so how are we supposed to!" she shouted at him.

"Why you ungrateful little bitch." he growled as he swung at her. But right before it would have hit her it was stopped by something extremely hot that now had a hold on his wrist. Standing to the side of Minerva was none other than the cause for all of Jiemma's hatred and disgust, Natsu Dragneel. And the look that he now had on his face was one of complete and utter rage, ready to be unleashed on him.

"So this is how a mage is treated at you guild when pointing out facts." said Natsu as he increased his grip on Jiemma's wrist, causing the man to bite back a scream of pain.

"Salamander." growled Jiemma with nothing but venom in his voice.

"Hello again Jiemma, I couldn't help but overhear your conversation with your daughter about me." replied Natsu as he let go of his wrist now having a fake smile on his face.

"Just like a Fairy to eavesdrop in on a private conversation." he said with a sneer.

"Jiemma don't you remember our little deal we made a few months ago, because I would hate to have to remind you in front of all these people. Also I wouldn't call almost yelling at each other in this arena a private conversation by any stretch of the imagination." stated Natsu still having that same fake smile.

"No I didn't Salamander and you should really learn to mind your own business." he said while glaring at him.

"I was going to until you were about to strike your own daughter just because she pointed out the fact that I can beat you. Oh and I am more than happy to make a public demonstration of that fact right now Jiemma, and I think if you lose you'll have to step down as Master of your guild and leave. Or did I make a false assumption about you kicking out all the losers from your guild as you called them?" asked Natsu hoping that Jiemma would fight him since all of this was being showed to everyone watching the games right now.

"You really should know your place Salamander; you can't talk that way to a Guild Master. And you couldn't beat me if you wanted to, also what I do with my guild members is my own business so stop trying to play the hero." he replied still not realizing all of this was being broadcasted.

"First off Jiemma I am never going to see you as any sort of Guild Master after you made the decision to not help Aster while they were being attacked by a drake. And I couldn't care less about your guild but I do care about your members and what you do to them, considering that you were just about to hit your own daughter just a few moments ago. Also if you're so sure that you can beat me then why don't you accept my challenge Jiemma and to make things interesting the loser has to leave their guild to never return again." he said still smiling at him.

"Why you little piece of shit, I would take you up on that offer but something like that is beneath a Guild Master." stated Jiemma as he continued to glare at Natsu.

"The words of a coward that isn't willing to back up his big talk, but that's to be expected from the man that sat back and watched Aster be destroyed." said Natsu as he turned away from Jiemma.

"That's it!" shouted Jiemma as he swung a fist at Natsu only for it to go through him just like when he was fighting Bacchus.

 **"SMOKE DRAGON CHOKE!"** shouted Natsu as he twirled around and grabbed Jiemma by the throat. And easily lifted him off the ground as black smoke from the hand holding him started to go into Jiemma's mouth and causing him to start choking as it started to fill his lungs.

"We're never going to be able to stand each other Jiemma, which I really couldn't care less about since I don't want to associate with someone who's so consumed about obtaining power for all the wrong reasons. But what I won't stand for is you using me and my guild as an excuse for how you treat your own mages." he said while Jiemma was still gasping for air as more smoke filled his lungs.

"Now I would love to destroy your guild but I'm pretty sure that you just did a great job of that all by yourself since you've been the center of attention before I even got here." he stated while pointing to the screen that was displaying the two of them at the moment.

"Salamander please stop, you're going to kill him." said Minerva with a concerned look.

"I can't believe she still cares for a worthless father like you Jiemma. And I was never going to kill you, I was just planning on letting you experience what the citizens of Aster had to go through. So you have your daughter to thank for not experiencing that pain for the next few minutes." he replied as he dropped Jiemma to the ground and started to remove his smoke from the man in a less than gentle manner. Once he was done with that Jiemma was now passed out on the ground with a few of his mages making sure that he was still okay.

"Thank you Salamander." said Minerva as she glanced at him.

"I honestly wasn't going to kill him even if he is one of the worst men I've ever had the displeasure of meeting." he stated as he was turning to leave.

"I meant thank you for stopping him from hitting me." she clarified as she turned away from him.

"There was no way I was going to let something like that happen while I'm around. And I actually have to thank you for telling my friends how to get to Aster, who knows how many more would have died if you didn't do that. So if you ever need anything don't be afraid to ask and that also includes dealing with your jackass of a father." he replied with a grin before jumping back into the arena that still didn't have another fight going yet because of the commotion that he just made.

"Thanks Salamander." she replied with a slight smile.

"You know you can call me Natsu Minerva since that's what most of my friends call me." he stated while he continued to walk across the arena with his back to her. Not noticing the embarrassed look Minerva had on her face for apparently becoming Natsu's friend during that little exchange.

"Thanks Natsu." she said just above a whisper as she decided to make sure her dad was still okay.

 **With Fairy Tail:**

"Well that could've gone a lot worse." stated Max with a grin.

"At least we don't really have to tell him since he appears to have figured most of it out." said Warren with a look of relief on his face.

"That idiot might have just gotten us disqualified." said Macao almost in tears since the thirty million jewels were practically slipping through his fingers at the moment.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that Master Macao." stated Kagura with a slight grin.

"Why the hell not, he just attacked the Master of a different guild?" he asked still imagining all the jewels that they would no longer be getting.

"Natsu did no such thing Master Macao and the whole country saw it. He also protected Minerva and chastised Jiemma for not helping the citizens of Aster in the process as well. So overall I think we should be fine after everything is all said and done." said Ultear with a happy little smile since Natsu actually controlled himself.

"He did show his darker side as he choked Jiemma like that." stated Cobra with a smirk since he has been on the receiving end of Natsu's dark side before.

"I'll admit that probably wasn't the best decision of his but it could have been worse like Max said." she said as the person they were discussing jumped up to them.

"Sorry Master Macao looks like I'm probably going to be disqualified from competing anymore in these games. But I'm confident that we'll still win without me helping anymore." said Natsu with a huge grin that looked like he honestly couldn't be happier.

"What if our team gets disqualified because of what you just did?" asked Macao as he glared at the still grinning dragon slayer.

"Then it would mean that we could all head home earlier, and before you even start screaming at me about the jewels I already said that I could easily get that amount for you. Besides I am confident that they wouldn't want to punish the whole team for my actions that most people are going to find very justifiable after everything that they just heard and saw." he answered while taking a seat next to Ultear.

"Even if that does happen Natsu, you have to think before you do something like that." declared the current Master of Fairy Tail.

"I did think before I acted Master Macao because if I didn't then Jiemma wouldn't be breathing right now." he replied in an angry tone as Chapati finally started to talk again.

"Sorry everyone but the games are going to be on hold for a few moments please, so now would be a great time to use the restrooms and get more refreshments from the stands located outside." said Chapati before turning off his mic.

"This doesn't look very good." stated Meredy as she kept glancing over at Natsu and Ultear.

"Don't worry, the worst that's going to happen is that I'm going to be disqualified from participating in anything else." said Natsu with a confident smile that made the few members that were concerned about this stop freaking out.

"Salamander can I ask you a question?" asked Sting with a confused look on his face.

"Ask away Sting." he replied while messing with the blonde's hair again just to rile him up.

"Why did you help her when she's not even part of our guild?" asked Sting as the fought with Natsu's hand that was still trying to mess with his hair.

"There's going to be times in your life Sting where you see things happening that you know are just wrong. And despite what most people might think you should do in those situations you'll know exactly what has to be done, even if it seems like the dumbest idea out there. So long as that action doesn't harm Fairy Tail in any way then I'm confident that you'll make the right choice, which is exactly what I just did." he answered with a serious face so Sting would understand that he's not joking about this.

"But couldn't you have just gotten all of us disqualified." pointed out Rogue with a slight frown.

"I might have, and if that's the case then all I did was cause the guild to lose a few jewels. Still making what I just did okay since jewels aren't really that important when compared to helping someone out who's in need." he clarified as Chapati coughed into his mic to get the crowds attention.

"Attention everyone a decision has been made regarding the recent incident between Sabertooth and Fairy Tail. And I unfortunately have to tell you all that Salamander has been disqualified from participating in any of the following matches." he announced with a frown as the crowd started to boo the decision. Some demanding that he be allowed to compete since he didn't do anything wrong in their eyes and it looked like it was going to get worse until Natsu let out a roar to get everyone's attention.

"Thank you everyone but that's enough already, I knew that my actions would most likely lead to something like this. And I'm more than happy to accept the punishment for attacking another guild like I did because even if I'm out the rest of team Fairy Tail will be able to pick up where I left off and finish these games in first place." he said to the arena with his usual grin as everyone seemed to calm down since he was completely okay with it.

"Thank you Salamander and I think I speak for everyone else here that it was a pleasure to watch you compete." said Chapati with a smile.

"Thanks and it was a pleasure to be here, but now that I've been disqualified I think I'm going to go attend to some other business of mine." he replied shocking the crowd and his own team as he started to leave the stands.

"Natsu wait for me." stated Ultear as she went after him.

"Ultear I'll be fine and I think the team still needs you." he said while turning to look at her with a warm smile.

"What are you planning to do?" she asked with a concerned look on her face.

"Nothing much, probably go and say hi to Sherry and meet her cousin who's dying to see me. And I'll probably do a little snooping into that thing we were talking about in the garden the other night." he answered while walking back to her and wrapping his arms around her waist.

"If that's what you planning then I should definitely be with you." she stated with a determined glint in her eye. That then changed to surprise as Natsu brought her into a kiss that reminded her of the one in the garden but somehow this one was better since he was the one to initiate it.

"Sorry, but it'll be easier for me if I'm alone, less likely to get noticed." he said just above a whisper after ending their kiss.

"Just be careful." she replied with a faint blush gracing her cheeks.

"When have I not done that?" he replied while laughing to himself as he once again started to leave the arena.

"You and everyone else probably think you're joking about that Natsu, but you would and the rest of them are wrong." she thought with a small smile as she returned to her seat. She then finally noticed that all of her team was smiling at her funny, none more than Meredy who looked like she might burst from happiness.

"What's with everyone?" she asked mainly wanting to hear from Meredy on this.

"Your and Natsu's little moment was just witnessed by all of Fiore." stated Laki with a happy smile.

"Not just that, but he was the one to kiss you." said Meredy as she got right in her face.

"He's done that before." she replied, slightly embarrassed by all of that being displayed for the whole country.

"Yeah maybe a little peck but never something like that, that was important and you know it." stated her surrogate daughter while smiling at her.

"I'm more surprised that she actually blushed." stated Jet with a grin that was gone with one look from Ultear.

"I didn't blush." she declared while glaring at him.

"Oh yes you did Ultear, which means you were even caught off guard by him doing that." said Meredy with a smug grin.

"Let's just watch the fights." she replied with a defeated sigh.

 **With Natsu:**

"Hello Lamia Scale." said Natsu as he came up to their team.

"Oh no he's come to attack us now." shouted one of the members to only be quickly hit over the head by Lyon who still had a few bandages on thanks to the dragon slayer.

"Shut up, Natsu wouldn't do something like that for no reason. So why did you stop by Natsu?" asked Lyon with a smile that Natsu thought looked weird on him.

"Decided to give up on calling me Salamander?" he asked with an eyebrow raised.

"As you said before its fine for your friends to call you that." stated Lyon now with a smirk that reminded him of Gray.

"That I did Lyon, and I just stopped by to see if Sherry's cousin was with you so I could finally meet her." he said while looking around for the pink haired Lamia Scale mage.

"They both went to go get some food just a little bit ago, so they should be back any minute now." said Lyon as he motioned for Natsu to take a seat.

"Thanks for the offer but I think I'm going to go and find them since I have other things I need to do." he replied before taking his leave. Now following the scent of Sherry to a group of concession stands, where he spotted her and a little girl with the same hair color receiving food from one of the stands.

The little girl was wearing a light blue dress with no sleeves that puffed out at the bottom of it. Around her waist was a large yellow bow that matched the two smaller ones that she had in her hair, which gave her pigtails that just went past her shoulders. On her feet were simple black dress shoes that looked pretty comfy to wear and very practical to use as an everyday footwear.

"So I've been told that someone around here is a really big fan of mine." he stated while coming up to them with his usual grin.

"Natsu Dragneel, you just couldn't help yourself could?" asked Sherry with a smirk while shaking her head at him.

"No not really, or would you have rather watched her get hit by him?" he asked back with a smirk of his own. That he had until a high pitched squeal came from the little girl next to Sherry, causing him to cover his ears as she continued to let out her squeal of excitement.

"I can't believe the famous Salamander is actually right in front of me." she said while jumping around excitedly.

"Wow, what in the world did I do to make you such a big fan of mine?" he asked with a grin as the ringing in his ears died down.

"What haven't you done Salamander." she replied as she then started to list off his accomplishments while counting them on her fingers.

"How does she know about all of that?" he asked Sherry in a whisper.

"She started reading at a really young age and instantly took an interest in magic. And I guess when those stories about you came out a while ago she read all of them." replied Sherry with a grin as the little girl continued to rattle off all of his past deeds including a lot about the destruction that he used to cause.

"Okay how in the world does she know about some of these, they were never released to the public?" he asked with a confused look on his face.

"She's already halfway through her Magic Schooling, where some of the teachers work for the Council as well. So maybe she got them to let her read them." suggested Sherry with a proud smile now on her face.

"Magic Schooling?" he asked.

"Figures you wouldn't know about it since you were taught by a dragon. But for some people who didn't run into a friendly dragon they decide to go to a school to be taught the fundamentals of magic and possibly even specialize in a specific type of magic." she explained.

"And when do most people finish this schooling thing?" he inquired since this little girl was only ten years old.

"Depends at what age you enter, but the average is six years." she answered while her little cousin continued to go on and on about what Natsu has done.

"So she started when she was just seven?" he asked with a slightly shocked expression.

"No she actually started at the age of eight but she is scheduled to finish in only four years." she replied once again having a proud grin.

"And finally one of the main reasons that I look up to you is due to the fact that everything you do is to protect the ones you care about. It's something that they keep telling us at school, but for some reason a few of my teachers say I shouldn't have you as my role model." said the little girl now almost out of breathe.

"That's probably because they're just a bunch of old fools that are jealous that we're both still young and can have fun. So what's your name since we never really got introduced properly?" said Natsu with a warm smile.

"Oh no, how could I be so rude sorry Salamander, my name's Chelia Blendy and I still can't believe that I'm actually getting to meet you." replied Chelia with a huge smile as she tried not to bounce around in joy.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Chelia and feel free to can call me Natsu if you want. And from what I've heard from your cousin Sherry you're already becoming quite the little mage." he said, causing her smile to somehow get even bigger than it already was.

"I don't know about that, I still don't have any spells for attacking yet." she said with a little disappointed look.

"And it's probably a good thing since you're so young." he said only to be surprised at the glare she was now giving him after hearing that.

"Like a drake or a dark mage will care about that." she pointed out while continuing to glare at him.

"Very true but you really shouldn't be worried about things like that since you're still only a kid. Don't you want to go and play with your friends like all of the other kids?" he asked since she really shouldn't be concerned about things like that just yet.

"I would but most of my friends died in Aster." she replied now about to cry. Sherry was about to comfort her but Natsu decided to intervene since seeing women has always been a weak spot for him.

"I'm so sorry Chelia I didn't know, but you can't let something like that stop you from ever having any more fun. I might not have known your friends but I'm confident that they would want you to keep smiling and having fun as if they were still with you. Also you just made another friend today who could really go for having some fun." said Natsu now on one knee right in front of her.

"I didn't make a new friend today." she said with a little sniffle.

"What are you talking about, you and I are friends now aren't we?" he asked with a warm smile.

"Do you really mean it?" asked Chelia with a surprised look on her face.

"Of course I do Chelia, why wouldn't I want to be friends with you? And I bet in a few years you'll be giving me a run for my money and I'll be calling you for help." he said only for her to jump him with a hug.

"Thank you Natsu." she said quietly while still hugging him.

"Anytime Chelia, so what do you want to do since I'm no longer competing in these games?" he asked as they separated.

"Could we talk and watch the games together?" she asked nervously while looking at her feet.

"If that's what you want to do." he replied with his usual grin as she hugged him again and then grabbed his hand and practically dragged him to her seat. Only to instantly start asking him all sorts of questions about certain things she read about him that she wanted to check if they were true for herself.

 **With Fairy Tail:**

"So he left us to go hang out with a little girl?" asked Jet with a slightly puzzled look on his face. Since a while ago Natsu talking with Chelia was displayed on the screen for the whole arena to see, causing a lot of people to wonder what he was doing with Lamia Scale or more specifically Chelia. Who looked like she was having the time of her life while talking with him about who knows what, and even causing Natsu to laugh out loud sometimes.

"That and some other reasons." answered Ultear with a smile since she always liked it when he relaxed like this.

"What other reasons?" asked Meredy with a slightly jealous look on her face as she looked at the two talking with each other.

"Is someone a little jealous?" she teased Meredy back, causing her to have a slight blush and start mumbling to herself.

"I would also like to know what other reasons Natsu has for not being with us right now Ultear?" asked Macao with a slight grin because of Meredy's reaction to being accused like that.

"It's not my place to tell Master Macao, just like it wasn't my place to tell him what you were keeping from him." replied Ultear with a sly grin.

"Fair enough." he stated, knowing that he should have guessed that she would have said something like that.

"So who are sending out to fight?" asked Kei as she and everyone else looked at Ultear for an answer.

"Why are you all looking at me, Natsu was the captain?" she stated while looking back at all of them.

"Because you're the next one in line for that position." stated Laki as if she should have known this.

"And when in the world was that decided?" she asked back.

"Come on Ultear, as soon as he was captain we all knew you were second in command. So who's it going to be, because I wouldn't mind going out there and showing Sabretooth what I'm capable of." replied Max with a grin. And soon pretty much everyone else was asking to be sent out.

"Enough already, you guys do know that if you asked Natsu earlier he definitely would have let other people fight besides him?" she asked with scowl because she couldn't understand them when they were all talking at once.

"We know that, but we wanted to let him have some fun since he rarely does that anymore." explained Warren as the rest nodded their heads in agreement.

"Thank you all for doing that, he would really appreciate it if he found out. And I just decided who we're going to be sending out there." she replied with a warm smile.

"So who's it going to be?" asked Sting hoping that he would be the lucky one.

"Kagura you are going to show the rest of the country that Natsu isn't the only capable wizard that we have, just like Jet did on day one." she answered with a smirk.

"Thank you Ultear, I will not let Fairy Tail down." said Kagura just as her fight was announced and the crowd was waiting to see who would be participating.

"It would appear that Fairy Tail is sending out Kagura Mikazuchi to face off against Minerva Orland. Who has to be pretty happy that she's not facing off against Salamander right now." announced Chapati as the crowd cheered for the two beautiful young ladies facing off against each other.

"I'd like to apologize for my father's actions." said Minerva with a quick bow.

"No need for that Minerva, you're not responsible for what he does and I'm sorry that you and your guild had to see Natsu when he's angry." replied Kagura with a slight smile.

"That's definitely something I won't be forgetting any time soon and I didn't expect you to be this nice to me." stated Minerva with a shocked expression.

"Any friend of Natsu's is a friend of mine. Besides, from what I heard you were one of the few at your guild to try and help out my friends on that day. So you're obviously not that bad of a person, but I think we should put all of this aside since we're supposed to be fighting." she said while taking out the sword that she would borrow from Natsu, Dragon's Regret.

"That we are." replied Minerva as a smirk made its way across her face while she gathered her magic and concentrated it to both of her hands. Both of them lunged at each other causing a large shockwave to explode from their location.

"Minerva was able to block Kagura's strike with just her magic alone, this is going to be one interesting fight." announced Chapati.

"Very impressive, but you shouldn't have let me get this close." said Kagura as she and Minerva were locked together at this moment. Kagura's sword just a few inches away from Minerva's face, thanks to her holding it back with both hands still covered in her magic.

"We'll see about that." replied Minerva as she kicked Kagura off of her. Only for her to have to lean back as a slash went straight through the spot that her chest used to occupy only seconds ago. And for the next five minutes the crowd watched the two duke it out and all were surprised at how well Minerva was at fending of Kagura while unarmed. But even though she was doing a great job of it she was always on the defense and was slowly getting small cuts from the swordswoman.

"It's over!" shouted Kagura as she slashed as Minerva's unguarded back knowing that it was her win if it landed. But was shocked when her sword met no resistance and Minerva was no longer standing there.

"That was a little too close, and you were definitely correct about not letting you get that close to me. And I don't plan on making that mistake again." stated Minerva from the other side of the arena.

"You don't have a choice." said Kagura as she started to run at her, but was caught off guard when hit directly with a wave of Minerva's magic causing her to let out a little scream of pain.

"Did you really think I could only use my magic at close range?" asked Minerva as she sent wave after wave at Kagura who was just barely able to dodge them. And rather than responding Kagura just continued to advance on Minerva whose smirk was only getting bigger by the second.

"Sorry Kagura but even if you get close to me again it won't matter." she stated with a little chuckle as Kagura took another direct hit.

"We'll see about that." growled Kagura as she started to move at speeds Minerva was having troubles keeping up with.

"Too slow." said Kagura now right in front of Minerva stabbing forward, only to receive a kick to her back as Minerva was no longer in front of her.

"I was going to say the same thing." she stated with a smile as Kagura picked herself up and rolled out of the way of another attack. With another growl of anger Kagura charged at Minerva again and for the next four minutes the crowd watched it happen all over again. Kagura would get to striking distance only for her and Minerva to switch spots with Minerva hitting her with a magic infused kick or punch.

"I'm impressed that you're still standing, but that's to be expected if you train with a mage like Salamander." stated Minerva who looked only slightly winded and had no new cuts since their first clash.

"As he always says a good mage needs to be able to take what they can dish out." replied Kagura as she spat out some blood. She on the other hand looked way worse than she did just five minutes ago, she now had a few tears in her clothing that showed off the cuts and bruises that Minerva had been dealing to her recently.

"Sounds like something he might say from what I know of him." said Minerva as she started to throw more waves of her magic at her opponent.

"Well you're about to learn that he's a great mentor in more than teaching someone how to take a beating." said Kagura as she jumped away from Minerva and her last attack, which put an even greater distance between the two of them.

"How so?" she asked, while trying to figure out why Kagura backed off when the whole time she had been charging in.

"Because I am one of few mages that he's mentoring right now." replied Kagura as she sheathed her sword while still having it in her left hand.

"Interesting, but why would you put away your weapon now of all times?" she asked with an eyebrow raised questioningly.

"I find it safer to not have a cutting edge when I use my magic." stated Kagura, causing a large collective gasp to go around the arena. As they all just realized that Kagura had yet to do any sort of spell and was only going at Minerva with just her own strength and speed.

"And why is that?" asked Minerva while Kagura said something too quiet for her to hear. She was about to ask her what she was mumbling about, but was surprised to find herself face first on the arena floor with a large weight holding her down.

"To answer your question Minerva, I don't want to accidentally slice you in half." said Kagura as she looked at her struggling to get back up.

"This won't keep me down!" she shouted while getting to her knees and starting to release her magic that was coming off of her as a purple aura.

"I'd be very disappointed if it did, **GRAVITY CHANGE: 50 TIMES!** " said Kagura with a slight smirk as Minerva crumpled back down to the ground.

"Give up Minerva, you can no longer attack me." she stated with a stone cold expression now on her face.

"We'll see about that." hissed Minerva as the two of them switched place. Unfortunately for her that didn't affect Kagura's spell at all since she was still face first in the dirt and couldn't move.

"A good attempt and it would have worked if I wasn't already affecting the area around both of us." she said while walking towards her and then bringing down her sword right next to Minerva's face causing cracks to spread from where it impacted.

"I surrender." said Minerva with wide eyes, knowing that if Kagura had wanted to she could have done that to her instead.

"There you have it folks, Fairy Tail has done it again. All they have to do is win the last event and they will have won these games without a single loss." said Chapati as the crowd cheered for the fantastic fight they just watched.

"Now you're not going to want to go anywhere since this last event is going to be one for the ages. It's a six way battle royal, with each team sending out three different mages to compete. And all it takes for a team to secure first place is have one member be the last mage standing." he announced causing the crowd to explode with excitement as people started to set up the arena for this event.

"Good job Kagura!" cheered Meredy and the rest as she rejoined them.

"Thanks everyone, I was hoping that I wouldn't need to use my magic." she replied with a slight frown.

"Come on Kagura, that's nothing to be sad about. Minerva is also an S-Class mage like yourself so it only makes sense that she'd force you to use it." stated Kei with a bright smile.

"She's right about that Kagura and I don't know if anyone else would have been able to take her down." said Ultear with a smile.

"That's not true, everyone else would have been fine against her." she said with a serious expression.

"Maybe Ultear and Natsu, but the rest of us probably wouldn't have even touched her." stated Droy with a smile.

"Hey, why wasn't I included in that list?" asked Jet as he glared at his best friend.

"Because you felt the need to go all out on the first event, meaning that you wouldn't have been able to do it again against her. And you know that would have been the only way for you to take her on by yourself." answered Laki with a grin.

"So as they were saying Kagura you did a great job at representing Fairy Tail." said Macao with a proud smile.

"Thanks, so who's going to compete in the event?" she asked with a warm smile, glad that she joined a guild like Fairy Tail.

"This is where Natsu would excel since he knows who works really well with each other. And unfortunately our usual teams of three have at least one of their members not in the best condition for something like this." said Ultear after letting out a sigh.

"I can still fight." said Kagura not wanting to let the rest of them down.

"I know you can, but Natsu would be really upset if you went in right after having a fight like that." she replied with a concerned look.

"Then why not team Dragon Slayer!" suggested Sting as he jumped up and down.

"She doesn't want to send us for a few reasons." stated Cobra with a neutral expression on his face.

"Like what?" he asked now glaring at the older dragon slayer.

"First off I don't really work well with others except for her and Salamander, but the biggest reason is she's just as concerned as Salamander about more drake's showing up again." replied Cobra as he glared right back at the boy.

"And why would drakes showing up matter?" asked Sting only to be hit in the back of the head by Rogue.

"Because we don't want to be tired or possibly knocked out if that did happen, who knows how many lives could be lost if that happened." said Rogue as he glared at his partner, meanwhile their two exceeds seemed not too concerned with the conversation at all.

"Then what about just piecing together a new team." suggested Cole, realizing his odds of competing were now pretty high.

"I guess that's what we're going to do in this situation since we don't really have any other option thanks to Natsu not being able to compete. Cole, Max, and Warren do you three think you'll be able to work together and not fight amongst yourselves?" asked Ultear as she looked at the three of them.

"That shouldn't be a problem with me on the team." stated Warren with a smug grin as he pointed to his head.

"Even without that, it's not like any of us are like what Natsu and Gray used to be." stated Max with a grin of his own.

"But knowing what the two of you are doing is going to really help since we haven't worked together much." said Cole as he gripped the handle of his sword in anticipation.

"Glad to hear so go out there and make us proud." she said with a commanding tone as the three of them headed into the arena.

"You do know that we could finish in last place and we'd still win this right?" asked Meredy as soon as the three were gone.

"Yes, but why tell them something like that before they go out there? When they're so excited to be competing for the guild and wanting to help out." she asked back.

"Good point Ultear, couldn't have said it better myself." stated Macao with a huge smile on his face.

"You're just saying that since you didn't realize that we've already won this thing, which is why you're now smiling like an idiot Master Macao." she replied while glaring at him.

"Just think of what we can do with all of those jewels." stated Macao completely ignoring her previous comment.

 **Fifteen minutes later:**

"After fifteen minutes of giving it their all Fairy Tail has finally been eliminated from this event." said Chapati with a slight frown.

"But man they didn't go down without a fight, who could have guessed that the other five teams would gang up on Fairy Tail like that. While also keeping at least one of their members back to not be accidentally eliminated, which as you all just watched easily could have happened to Quatro Cerberus or Mermaid Heel who are both down to one remaining member." he continued to announce as the fight continued to be waged in the arena.

"Here is what the current ranking of the teams are." he said while the screen showed their current positions.

Fairy Tail = 70

Lamia Scale = 47

Blue Pegasus = 36

Sabretooth = 25

Quatro Cerberus = 20

Mermaid Heel = 20

"This means that Fairy Tail, Lamia Scale and Blue Pegasus have secured their positions and that the other three are now fighting for fourth place." he stated as the fight started to become hectic now that they all weren't focusing on Fairy Tail.

"Now let's see who's going to be the next team knocked out." said Chapati as the screen then showed the two mages that were the only ones remaining on their teams.

"I can't believe that they would do something like that." said Meredy as she glared at all of the competing teams in the arena.

"It was actually a really smart move on their part." stated Kagura with her usual stoic face that she had while analyzing something.

"No kidding, if they didn't do that I'm pretty sure that we would have easily won that." said Jet with a big grin since they just showed that Fairy Tail is never to be taken lightly.

"How were those three so coordinated with their attacks and defense?" asked Sting, who honestly didn't know half of guild members' magic.

"That would be thanks to Warren's telepathy, which let them know exactly what the other one was doing during the whole fight." explained Ultear with a proud grin like most of the team.

"That's so cool." he replied back as they all went back to watching the fight.

"Where's Natsu by the way?" asked Kei all of a sudden.

"Isn't he still with that girl from Lamia Scale." responded Laki as she glanced over there and realized he was gone.

"Nope, he got up before this event started and I assumed he would show up back here but he still hasn't." said Kei now having a concerned look on her face.

"He's fine Kei, he's probably just starting to work on those other reasons I talked about earlier." stated Ultear in a confident tone.

"You know you really didn't tell us what those other reasons are." pointed out Jet.

"And I still won't, and you should be fine with that since its Natsu were talking about here." she replied.

"I think that's why we're all so interested in it since he's usually such an open book about pretty much everything." said Laki with a slightly concerned expression.

"He still is, but he just wants to confirm something before he even bothers to tell you all about it." she said hoping that would be the end of this topic, which it was since the fight started to get even more intense now that it was down to the final three teams.

 **Two days later at Fairy Tail:**

"Where the hell is he?" asked Jet, which was the question on most of the minds of the Fairy Tail mages.

"Obviously not here." stated Wakaba with a smirk since Jet was easy to annoy when he was like this.

"I know that, but he didn't even show up for the closing ceremony after the games." he replied.

"That didn't really surprise me, but him not returning with us or showing up for the celebration here has me concerned." stated Laki as she took a seat next to Wakaba.

"You two are actually worrying about Natsu, never would have guessed in a million years that something like this would have happened." said Wakaba as he lit his pipe.

"Of course we are you didn't see how strange he was acting before he randomly just left us during the games." stated Jet as he decided to sit next to Laki.

"When has Natsu ever not acted strange?" asked Wakaba with a smile.

"Good point." replied Laki now having a small smile of her own.

"Yeah but this was somehow different, it reminded me of how he was acting before that pack of drakes showed up." said Jet as Kinana gave him a mug of beer.

"I didn't get that feeling from him." said Kinana with a bright smile as she handed Laki and Wakaba their own mugs.

"Me either Jet, and you guys shouldn't be too worried since Ultear and the rest don't seem too bothered by his absence." pointed out Droy while taking a seat and gesturing to the table that had the group of girls that were usually stuck to Natsu's side whenever possible.

"Not to mention Master Macao seems okay with this." said Kinana still smiling.

"That's because TM Maco is too happy about getting all of those jewels without filling out paperwork or paying for the destruction that we usually cause." stated Wakaba after taking a large drink from his mug.

"Why aren't they freaking out?" asked Laki now realizing that they didn't even seem concerned about Natsu being gone.

"Let's just go over there and ask them." said Jet as he got up and headed over to the table.

"Hello Jet, what can I do for you?" asked Ultear as he and Laki came up to them.

"We were wondering why you weren't freaking out about Natsu randomly disappearing?" he asked with a concerned look.

"I wouldn't freak out Jet, and he hasn't randomly disappeared." she replied while glaring at him, once again reminding the speedster that she gets angry a lot easier when Natsu isn't around.

"So he told you what he's doing." said Laki since Jet was too afraid to speak in fear of making her angrier at him.

"No he didn't but before we left Crocus he told me that he would be gone for maybe a week and to not expect him for at least two days at the earliest." she said now having her usual slight smirk on her lips.

"Do you have any idea what he's up to?" asked Jet now able to talk since she was no longer glaring at him.

"I only know what he was most likely doing while still in Crocus during the games, but after that I don't really know. Whatever it is he'll tell us as soon as we need to know so you two don't really need to be too worried about him." she answered with a smile, causing the two to return to the bar as everyone continued on like it was any other day at Fairy Tail.

 **End of Chapter**

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. So I'm sorry if you wanted me to do the last event but I decided not to since that probably would have added another additional three thousand words. And this chapter was already long enough as it is and I had to skip and shorten a few things already. So the next chapter is going to be the last one for the second year without the Tenrou group and it'll hopefully be a good one. Just so you all know I would love to hear your thoughts in a review or pm and I'll try to respond back as soon as I can.**

 **Until the next Chapter**

 **Digem Out!**


	22. The Godparents

Ch 22: The Godparents

 **October** **X786 one month later at Fairy Tail:**

Unlike most days at Fairy Tail's guild hall it was extremely quiet, gone was the constant sounds of members boasting about their most recent job. So were the sounds of members sparing with each other out in their arena, which was usually being displayed on all of the lacrima screens in the guild so everyone could see and easily place bets on them. The guild wide brawls were usually only now done when they were celebrating momentous occasions, which meant that they would probably be having one of those later tonight.

Instead of all of those things happening like they usually would almost every member was grouped together in a corner. All of them trying to make it to the front so they could get a better view, which if you were a male meant that your odds were very low since the female members wouldn't let anyone take their spot and were willing to fight anyone for it. So what could possibly have Fairy Tail acting so strangely, well that is really easy to answer since their family grew by one member a few days ago and the happy parents decided to take her to the guild for the very first time.

"She's so cute!" said Laki with a little squeal as the baby let out a small yawn causing everyone to unanimously reply with an aww.

"I'm honestly the happiest person in the world right now." stated Alzack as he looked at his beautiful wife holding his new born daughter, surrounded by the rest of their family.

"It's going to be one of the most fulfilling things that you're ever going to do in your life." shouted Macao from the bar with a grin as all of the female members glared daggers at him for being so loud.

"I don't doubt that Master Macao." he replied while smiling down at the two girls he would do anything for.

"And you guys really don't need to be that quite, Asuka is a surprisingly heavy sleeper once she's actually asleep." stated Bisca as she slowly rocked her daughter back and forth.

"Even if that's true, Master Macao should've known better than to be so loud." said Kagura as she glared at the man smiling at all of them from the bar.

"She's right, if Asuka started to cry he would have been in a world of hurt." stated Kei, which shocked a lot of the members since she never said anything like that before. But considering how cute Asuka was it was warranted in most of their eyes since Macao had actually raised a kid already and definitely should have known better.

"Come on guys, she's a member of Fairy Tail so she's going to have to get used to us sometime." said Macao with a goofy grin that was lost as a mug nearly hit him in the face.

"Only a few days old doesn't seem like the correct time Master, or do I need to further demonstrate my point?" asked Laki as she glared at her guild Master with a look that almost turned him into stone.

"Sorry, it'll never happen again." he replied in just a whisper.

"Good." she hissed back only to turn and have the biggest smile ever as she looked at Asuka.

"So have you two picked her godparents yet?" asked Jet from the back of the group.

"We have, but they have unfortunately not showed up to the guild yet." replied Bisca with a smile that was permanent just like the one on Alzack right now.

"Well we all now know who you're talking about." said Kinana with a bright smile since this could very well be the start of the next generation of Fairy Tail mages.

"To think that just two years ago I never would have guessed that the two of you would be having a kid already. But the bigger surprise is that you two picking Natsu as the godfather doesn't seem crazy to me at all in the slightest now." stated Wakaba from the bar with a smirk.

"He's changed a lot since then." stated Droy with a fond smile as he looked back on the good old days when drakes weren't a constant threat.

"That he has, but he's still the same idiot that we all grew up with and love. Now he's just doesn't show that side of himself everyday like he used to, which I know they are probably going to be the most shocked about when they finally return." said Laki with a grin as she and the rest of the guild just imagined the looks on their faces once they see the new Natsu.

"Natsu has become the mage that Master Makarov always knew he would become, which is why I think we might have to revisit that discussion we had once we found out about the Tenrou Group going missing." stated Macao with a serious face that let everyone know he wasn't joking about this.

"Are you just trying to get out of doing paperwork?" asked Wakaba as he elbowed his friend in the ribs.

"That isn't the reason, but now isn't the appropriate time to discuss this which is my bad everyone. And he'll be a great godfather who will probably spoil her as much as he can when you two let him." he said with a big grin.

"We know, but one of the main reasons that we want him to be her godfather is it's one of the only ways we could show him our appreciation for everything he's done for us." said Alzack with a smile.

"But the biggest reason is that we know if the unspeakable happens to both of us he'll do everything that he can to protect her and make sure she's happy." said Bisca with a smile as she gently poked Asuka on her little nose.

"That's something you two really shouldn't be thinking about." said Max with a slight frown.

"You're wrong Max, now that we're parents it's a necessity that we make sure Asuka is going to be looked after if anything happens to us. I couldn't understand how Natsu thought about this stuff yet somehow was still happy before, but after having her it kind of just clicked for me. Making me appreciate every second that I get to spend with her and wanting to make sure that she will be taken care of in the future." explained Alzack never losing his smile for a second.

"We'll see if you appreciate every second while changing her dirty diaper." stated Macao with a grin as everyone chuckled at that, knowing that in a few weeks the two new parents were probably going to look like hell.

"Does anyone know when he and Ultear might be coming here?" asked Bisca.

"They'll be arriving any second now." stated Cobra with a grin from his usual table. Everyone remained silent as they then started to hear the faint voices of the two people that the parents were waiting for.

"Natsu you really need to stop doing that." came the voice of Ultear that sounded slightly annoyed.

"I'll stop doing that if you stop restoring it right afterwards." he declared causing a few members to become curious about what the two were talking about.

"Natsu-san why did you even destroy that statue of yourself?" came the unidentifiable voice of a young girl for most of the members. But for a few of them they instantly knew it belonged to Chelia, who would visit Natsu whenever she could to receive more training from him or just to hang out.

"He did that because he's a weirdo." stated Meredy happily as they came into the guild with the two pink haired girls in front of Natsu and Ultear who were holding hands like they normally did.

"You're never going to stop saying that about me are you?" he asked her with a grin.

"I'll stop saying it when you stop being a weirdo, which we both know isn't going to happen." stated Meredy with a smug little grin.

"Fine Meredy and the reason that I destroyed that statue Chelia was because they put it up for no good reason and without my permission as well." he said while smiling down at the two of the girls.

"But they did have permission to make it Natsu, since I gave it to them." said Ultear with a sly grin as he gave her a slight glare.

"And they also had a good reason to put it up as well Natsu-san, the plaque said that it was to show you the town's appreciation for always protecting them from the drakes." stated Chelia with a slightly confused look since it seemed like a good reason to her for a statue of him to be put up.

"Okay so I'm wrong about those two things I guess, but I just don't think there should be a statue of me. I mean I didn't do anything special since anyone else would have done the same thing if they were in my shoes." he stated while shaking his head. While pretty much everyone else completely disagreed with him about that last statement but decided it would be pointless to argue with him about it.

"Like I said earlier Chelia-chan he just weird like that sometimes." said Meredy who had quickly become friends with Chelia after actually talking with her. It was figuring out that she wasn't trying to steel Natsu away from the guild that returned Meredy to her normal happy self.

"Yeah but that's what makes him Natsu-san." said Chelia as she and Meredy giggled at Natsu who was now pouting that the three of them were ganging up on him.

"Don't they just look like a little family Wakaba." stated Macao with a huge grin as everyone looked at the group and realized that they did.

"That they do TM Macao, the two girls even have the same unique hair color like him." replied Wakaba as the three girls all of a sudden started to blush at their comments.

"Now that you two mentioned it if I wasn't a member here I would have not thought twice if you told me that." stated Warren with a grin as a few other members chimed in with similar comments.

"I think that they would make a great family, and it would appear that so do all of the girls." pointed out Laki as said girls started to blush even more than they were before.

"I wouldn't be surprised if Ultear is the next one to have a kid, want to bet on it Wakaba?" asked Macao only for the temperature to rise as a growl came from Natsu.

"That's enough everyone, and were you just about to bet about my girlfriend getting knocked up Master Macao?" asked Natsu drawing out his name as he glared at him, just daring him to confirm it and then suffer the consequences.

"Absolutely not." mumbled Macao, now remembering exactly why he and everyone else no longer hit on her since they all wanted to keep on living.

"Good because I'd hate to…" started Natsu but stopped when he heard a little yawn come from the group in the corner of the guild hall.

"What's going on over there?" asked Chelia as she followed where Natsu was now looking after stopping all of a sudden.

"No idea, but let's go find out." said Meredy as she and Chelia took off to find out for themselves.

"You were all going on about a make believe family when there was an actual one in the guild." stated Ultear as she glared at a few of the members still looking at her and Natsu.

"What can I say, it's a rare opportunity to pick on the two of you so when one presents itself we have to take it." replied Jet with a smirk as a few of the other men nodded their heads in agreement.

"You know I'm going to get all of you back for that." she stated while starting to pull Natsu towards the little family that was currently the center of attention.

"Still worth it since we got to see all of you blushing like mad except for Natsu, who only smiled at all of it." said Warren taking note of that little detail.

"We'll see if you still think that after we're done with you." she said with an evil little grin that only a few of them saw.

"We?" asked Jet knowing full well what that meant but he just had to make sure.

"Of course Natsu's going to help me because that's what couples do." she stated before she made it to the front of the crowd where Chelia and Meredy somehow had already made it to.

"She so cute." squealed Meredy as quietly as possible as Chelia nodded her head in agreement.

"There you two are, we've been waiting for you." said Bisca with a bright smile as she looked up at Natsu and Ultear.

"You have, that's kind of surprising." replied Ultear as Natsu remained completely quite as he looked at the little bundle in Bisca's arms with wide eyes.

"We have a question we'd like to ask the two of you." said Alzack with a grin as he looked at the two of them hopefully.

"Go ahead and ask but I don't know if he'll hear you since it appears that your cute little baby broke him." she said while gesturing at Natsu who still hasn't said another word since he figured out that Asuka was here.

"Well what we're about to ask you deals with little Asuka." said Bisca as Asuka let out another little yawn before opening her eyes.

"She finally awake!" said Chelia happily as if she had been waiting hours for Asuka to wake up.

"She's even more cute while awake." stated Ultear with a warm smile.

"We wanted to know if you two would be her godparents?" asked Alzack with a hope full look in his eyes while still smiling at them.

"You really want me and Natsu to be her godparents?" she asked back in disbelief.

"Of course we do Ultear, why wouldn't we?" asked Bisca as she glanced up at them before returning her gaze to Asuka.

"How about my past for one and no offence to Natsu but he's still an idiot sometimes." she replied not being able to come up with any better reasons of why they shouldn't be godparents.

"Your past is exactly that Ultear; you're now a part of the family. And as for Natsu being an idiot you know that now it only happens when he can actually get away with it, otherwise he's exactly what we want from a godparent just like you." explained Alzack.

"Besides, you two are soon going to be officially together and probably have kids of your own soon too." stated Bisca with a little grin as Ultear became a little flustered after hearing that.

"I have no idea what you're saying." replied Ultear in a surprisingly calm tone.

"Sure you don't, would you like to hold her Natsu?" she asked with a big smile as she looked up at the shocked dragon slayer who still hadn't made a sound yet. So Bisca decided to hand Asuka over to him and see if that would snap him out of whatever he was going through. And sure enough, as soon as she was handed over to him he became less rigid than before and held her in a gentle yet protective manner.

"Yes." mumbled out Natsu as he smiled down at Asuka who was smiling back up at him.

"What was that Natsu?" asked Ultear a little surprised that he was actually talking.

"I said that we accept being her godparents." he replied as his smile only got bigger.

"Are you sure about this Natsu?" she asked since this was a big decision for them to make.

"Absolutely Ultear, this is one of the few things that I am one hundred percent certain of. I'm going to be the best godparent ever, and if you ever need anything Asuka I'll be more than happy to help." he said while looking down at little girl that was smiling up at him.

"She already seems to really like you Natsu." said Bisca with a warm smile as she watched Natsu hold her daughter as if she was the most important thing in the world to him right now.

"Of course she does, but Natsu you can't just give her anything she wants while she grows up." stated Alzack with a smile since he knew Natsu was already probably planning to do just that.

"Oh come on, how am I supposed to say no to her?" he asked while still smiling at Asuka.

"It's something you're going to have to learn then." stated Bisca as she leaned her head against Alzack who was already hugging her from behind.

"That'll be the toughest thing I've ever had to learn but I think I can manage. Do you want to hold her for a bit Ultear?" asked Natsu as he was already in the process of handing her over.

"Natsu you should've checked with Bisca and Alzack first." lectured Ultear trying to teach him something but it wasn't very affective since she had huge smile on her face as she now held Asuka.

"It's fine Ultear, and that right there is why you two will be great parents." stated Bisca with a small grin.

"Don't you mean godparents?" asked Ultear once again trying to sound intimidating but failing terrible because of Asuka.

"Maybe, maybe not, either way my statement still stands and I can't wait for the wedding." she replied knowing that Ultear was honestly too happy right now to dismiss it like she usually would.

"Bisca don't try and force them into anything too soon." said Alzack with a small grin of his own.

"I'm not forcing anything, I'm just trying to help two friends realize what everyone else already has." she stated with another grin as Ultear and Natsu were both too focused on Asuka to even care anymore.

"They know honey, they're just a little like what we used to be and are just afraid to show it to the rest of us." he said with a grin knowing that he was definitely correct about this. And for the next few hours it continued on like this with the new godparents sticking close to the new family and talking with them about all sorts of things finally ending with the new family going back home to put Asuka to sleep. This of course meant that Fairy Tail was now able to party like they usually did without the fear of all the girls and Natsu beating the living shit out of someone if they upset Asuka.

 **Towards the end of November X786:**

"Stupid snow, reminds me of the Stripper way too much." mumbled Natsu as he and Ultear entered the guild together.

"Come on Natsu, you know you like it since it changes how everything looks and the daily routines of most people." said Ultear as they headed to their usual spot at the bar.

"And that's why I hate it just look around; everybody is just sitting around not knowing what to do since they can't use most of the training course or the arena. And there are always fewer missions this time of the year so there goes another thing to keep us interested." he continued to complain about.

"It's not that bad Natsu, it's okay for everyone to have a break like this every now and then." said Kinana as she handed him a cigar and a lighter.

"I know, but are you really that surprised I don't like something that causes most people to stop doing things. Yeah I've calmed down a lot over the last two years but every once and a while I just want something exciting to happen to liven everything up." he stated with a little grin.

"Be careful what you wish for Natsu." said Ultear with a sly grin as she started to move her one hand up his leg. Causing him to give her a smirk that said he was willing to see how far she would go with this, since they had progressed their relationship ever since Natsu kissed her at the Grand Magic Games. But unfortunately they never really had any alone time thanks to five other people living in their house, which wouldn't have been a problem if three of them weren't dragon slayers. So once again their relationship seemed to have another small obstacle that Ultear was trying to destroy as quickly as possible.

"She's right you know Natsu and I've actually been meaning to talk to you for a while about some guild business." said Macao as he took a seat next to him, causing the couple to stop their previous actions.

"And what would that be Master Macao, since our jewel reserves are quite substantial after the Grand Magic Games and the Fantasia Festival we had earlier this month?" he asked knowing that usually if Macao was concerned about the guild it was jewel related.

"It's nothing like that Natsu, it's actually related to me being the temporary Master." stated Macao with a serious expression so they would realize he wasn't joking around like he sometimes did.

"What about it Master Macao?" asked Ultear now interested in this.

"Well when I accepted this position and worked it out with the Council they agreed with it on the condition that I could only be the temporary Master for two years. And since we're only a month away from that I think it's time we start discussing who should become the fourth guild Master of Fairy Tail since they haven't returned yet." he explained with a slight frown since he was really hoping that they would have returned by now.

"Can't we just have another temporary Master?" asked Natsu with a questioning look.

"Nope, the Council was very clear about it. We need a new Master since the Tenrou Group are dead in the eyes of the Council and only let us have a temporary one to let us have a little hope that they'll be coming back." he said in a sad tone.

"They're coming back Master Macao!" growled out Natsu in angry tone that caused Macao to feel a little frightened.

"I know Natsu, but that still doesn't change the fact that we need to elect a new Master for the remaining time that they're gone. And who ever we pick can step down for Master Makarov once they return, but I have a strange feeling that he'll be dancing for joy that someone else has to deal with the paper work and turn down the position." he replied now having a fond smile and chuckling towards the end.

"That definitely sounds like something Gramps would do." said Natsu who also had a fond smile as a few memories came flooding back to him.

"Just imagine the look on his face when we tell him that we have jewels to spare thanks to you two." stated Macao with a proud grin.

"Fixing up the guild after fights really isn't that big of a deal considering that Natsu rarely does that anymore." said Ultear with a smirk.

"It actually saves more jewels than you know Ultear, but that's not the only thing you two have done. All of those jobs you two complete really help since there is never any damages afterwards that we need to pay for." he continued with the same grin.

"It's really not that much, and Gramps would probably start crying tears of joy since he's always been more concerned about jewels than you've ever been." he pointed out with his usual grin.

"It comes with being the guild Master!" snapped back Macao defensively.

"Sure it does, so why don't we just have you become the fourth Master?" he asked still grinning at him.

"As you know I never really wanted this position at all in the first place. Also I think there is a better member qualified for this position now that a little more time has passed." explained Macao with a little grin since Natsu didn't know that he was talking about him.

"Really, because I honestly think you've been doing a great job." he stated.

"Thanks, but like I said before there is someone better suited for the position now. And because of that I think we should have another vote on it again, but before we do that I want to see if the person I have in mind would be willing to take the position." said Macao as stared intently at Natsu.

"You're the Master, and I'm confident that whoever you're thinking of would take it if they're as good as you say they are. Who are you talking about anyways?" asked Natsu while switching his cigar to the other side of his mouth.

"He's talking about you, you idiot." said Ultear while rolling her eyes at him. Since it seemed like Natsu couldn't figure out the simplest things about anything directly relating to himself. But if it was about anyone else or the wellbeing of the guild he understood it in a few seconds and would already have ideas of how to help. All of this made Ultear really wonder what actually went on in that mind of his most of the time.

"Are you kidding, I am not qualified for that at all." he replied with a shocked expression and actually let his cigar fall out of his mouth.

"Yes you are Natsu, and these last two years have proven that, not only to me but to the rest of the guild as well." said Macao with a smile since he predicted this kind of reaction from him.

"I really don't think so." he stated while placing his cigar back in his mouth.

"Natsu, this isn't a joke and Master Macao is correct. You've done so much for everyone since the Tenrou Group went missing, letting Meredy and I join you after everything we did. Constantly fighting off those drakes and getting everyone prepared to protect themselves if you're not able to be there for them. Not to mention dealing with the Council and anyone else that tried to harm the guild in any way, while also getting more members to join despite how bleak it looked there for a moment." state Ultear as she grabbed one of his arms and gave the hand a reassuring squeeze.

"But most of that I didn't do by myself, the rest of the guild was helping me every step of the way." he argued as he looked back and forth at the two mages on each side of him.

"And that right there is why I know you would make a good Master. You didn't just do everything by yourself, you got the rest of the guild to be actively involved and motivated to get stronger. Yes you did do some things by yourself, but that was just your way of making sure that everyone else would be alright." said Macao, knowing that Natsu was going to try and argue that last point.

"You are constantly thinking about everyone else, which can sometimes be a real pain. But that's exactly what's need for the Master of a guild like Fairy Tail where we're more than just mages gathering together, we're a family that will do anything to help each other." said Ultear with a loving smile as Natsu then let out a long sigh.

"Fine, if I get voted as the next Master of Fairy Tail I won't turn it down. But I really don't think that's going to happen since most of them will probably vote for you Master Macao." he replied with a grin.

"We'll have to wait and see then Natsu, I'm just glad that you'll except if it does happen." said Macao with a smug grin on his face.

"So how is our favorite little family holding up?" asked Kinana as she brought food out for the three of them with a big smile.

"Asuka is just as cute as always." replied Ultear with a bright smile.

"Yes she is, but Bisca and Alzack look like they haven't gotten a good night's sleep for a month now." stated Natsu with a slight frown.

"That's probably because they haven't been; having kids will do that to you. But it's all worth it in the long run." said Macao with a fond smile now on his face.

"How is Romeo doing since I haven't seen him around here lately?" asked Kinana as she started to clean one of the mugs since there was nothing else for her to do.

"He's fine despite the hell that Natsu's been putting him through." he replied with a bigger smile.

"What does he mean by that Natsu?" she asked with a smile that both men knew was a fake, just like Mira used to do.

"I'm just training him, and just like any other kid he wanted to jump straight to the moves and not learn all of the basics first. Oh and he's actually done with all of that stuff now Master Macao, so if it's okay I'm going to start actually teaching him some real moves." said Natsu with a grin.

"Fine by me Natsu, he knows the deal and doesn't plan to break it. I mean he's already made it through a full year of you training him." he stated while shaking his head since it felt like it all went by in a second.

"What part of that would be hell for him?" asked Kinana with an eyebrow raised at him.

"I have no idea." stated Natsu with a guilty expression now on his face.

"Like hell you do, what makes Natsu's training like hell for Romeo is all the exercises that he still has him do." stated Macao with a grin.

"Oh come on it's really not that bad, and I already explained that he needs to work on his body just as much as his magic." he replied trying to justify his methods.

"I still don't think it should be described as hell." she stated while glaring at him slightly.

"It's nowhere near what I've been putting Sting and Rogue through." he stated realizing that might not have been the correct thing to say in front of Kinana who became really protective of the younger members after the whole drake thing that happened a few months ago.

"I've wanted to actually talk to you about that Natsu, because from what Eric told me. Even he thinks you're being too tough on them." she said while giving him that same fake smile from before, that if Natsu had to guess she started to do since Mira was able to calm down the whole guild if she wanted to by using it.

"About that…" started Natsu until he felt a familiar presence of someone he hadn't seen for a while. Everyone else in the guild quieted down too, but that was because of the state that the person was in when he appeared in the middle of the guild hall and fell to the floor. He had on the uniform of a Rune Knight, but instead of being pristine like they usually were, his was all torn up and had blood splattered all over it with even some singe marks on it as well. They all were stuck in their places as the man struggled to get up revealing to all of them that it was none other than Doranbolt.

"Natsu…" he struggled to choke out while getting to his feet.

"What the hell happened?" asked Natsu now right in front of him and helping him up.

And to everyone's shock the two of them disappeared just like that leaving the rest of them confused about what was going on. All of them having a really good idea what was most likely happening but all hoping that it wasn't since it always left them a little uneasy when he had to deal with them.

"You don't think it could be another invasion?" asked Jet with a serious expression as he put on his daggers that Natsu gave to him permanently after the first attack.

"It'd have to be for Doranbolt to take Salamander like that." stated Cobra from the back entrance with Sting and Rogue standing behind him.

"Then why didn't he bring us with him?" asked Sting with a frown since he wanted to prove that he could take on a drake by himself without Cobra helping at all.

"Probably because he'll need us to go somewhere else." he replied as Doranbolt appeared again without Natsu and once again falling to the ground.

"Doranbolt what the hell is going on?" asked Ultear as she picked him up with an intimidating glare since Natsu was pretty much abducted from her.

"Drakes coming here any minute!" he managed to say before passing out from his injuries.

"Shit, Jet if you would." said Macao with a serious expression as Jet disappeared and the alarms could then be heard going off in the town.

"Kinana could you patch him up as quickly as you can?" asked Ultear as she handed Doranbolt to Nab who took him to the infirmary.

"Of course." she replied with a small smile as she took off for the infirmary.

"Alright everyone, we have no idea how many drakes we're going to be dealing with here so get ready for one hell of a day. But our first priority is making sure that everybody can get to the bunkers so let's get to it! And attack teams I think you should form the same teams and spread out across the town since we have no idea where they're going to be coming from." ordered Macao as everyone started to rush out of the guild hall and do as he said.

"He'll be alright, Salamander isn't going to leave you anytime soon." said Cobra quietly to Ultear before heading out of the guild.

"Of course he will." she said with a slight smile before she put on her game face and headed out after Cobra and the rest of the guild.

 **With Natsu:**

"What the hell man?" asked Natsu angrily as they reappeared somewhere else in the country. But before he could continue his senses kicked in and they instantly put him on high alert, because the only thing that he could now smell was the distinctive scent of death along with other ones that didn't bode well for them. Such as: blood, burning bodies and many other scents of things being burned.

Natsu looked up from Doranbolt and was instantly filled with nothing but pure rage at what he saw. They were on the outskirts of a small village at the foot hills of some mountain range that wrapped almost completely around them. All around them laid the scattered remains of at least one regimen of Rune Knights that caused the white snow covering the ground and some of them to now be a crimson red rather than the pure white that it used to be. And the village in the distance was covered in flames with smoke billowing out of it as pain filled screams could faintly be heard as the figure of two different drakes could faintly be seen making their way through the buildings.

"Go back now Doranbolt." he growled as he took off for the village at an insane speed knowing that Doranbolt would do as he was told. As he got closer he could hear the sounds of people in their final moments only fueling his rage at the drakes and also the Council for keeping him out of the loop once again, and just like last time others were now paying for their incompetence.

He passed by a few people trapped hating himself for doing it. But he knew that he had to deal with the real problem first otherwise it would be pointless to help them and more people could end up in worse situations than then the people he was passing right now. Natsu rounded what he could only assume was their city hall or something like that and came upon a scene he didn't expect to run into.

There held in one of the claws of the drake in front of him was the headless body of the last remaining person the Council sent to deal with these drakes. Normally this wouldn't have shocked him since most mages don't stand a chance against a drake, but the white coat that could be seen between the drake's claws had an emblem proudly displayed that caused him to stop in his tracks. Because it was an emblem that Natsu was quite familiar with since Makarov had the same one on his coat, the emblem showing that whoever had it was a member of the Ten Wizard Saints.

"This was the one that all of those other soldiers put all their faith in to, to defeat us?" asked the drake as he dropped the body to the ground while making a snort of amusement. He was a maroon colored with a tan underbelly, other than that he looked like your standard drake expect for the fact that he had a lot of visible scars all over his body. Showing that he was definitely an experienced fighter and seemed to be the victor of these encounters since he was still standing.

"I knew that those reports where wrong about other humans being able to match us, all expect for that dragon slayer who goes by Salamander." said the other drake as it came from a side street that was now set ablaze unlike moments ago. This drake was mainly grey except for what looked like red markings for flames that went up its legs and arms and the end of its tail. The only other things on the drake that were red happened to be its spikes lining its back and its razor sharp claws.

"Then we should hurry up and catch up with the others since they are heading to where he's supposed to be at right now." said the first drake only to stop as it finally picked up on Natsu's presence.

"I guess they're going to be pretty disappointed that I came here then. But I guess it doesn't really matter since I'll just hunt them down after I kill you two of course." said Natsu as he flipped his coat around so the black side was now on the outside showing off its orange dragon emblem and removing his sword from the ground where he stuck it to change his coat.

"So you're Salamander?" asked the grey drake as it eyed him cautiously.

"I would have thought that you would know me by Natsu Dragneel, but now that I think about it every drake I've told that to but one have all ended up dead." he replied while lighting his cigar off of a burning building, making the drakes wonder why he was acting as if this was such a normal thing for him.

"We know all about you killing most of the drakes that came before us." hissed the maroon drake as he got ready to charge Natsu, but stopped because of his partner.

"Dragneel why does that name sound so familiar?" asked the other drake with its one arm outstretched to stop the other one.

"I honestly couldn't tell you, I initially thought that Igneel just came up with a last name that had most of his name in it. But it would appear that I'm wrong about that since you've heard it before and already knew that I'm the son of Igneel." he said with a grin as he stared down the two drakes.

"Of course we know who your father is, nothing but a traitor that sided with you filthy humans! And that's why we've come here to end your pitiful existence before you tarnish the Fire Kingdom more than Igneel already has!" growled the maroon drake.

"Calm down Igirre, no normal human or dragon slayer could have accomplished what this one has done." stated the grey one in a calm tone.

"How dare you tell him my name Shevroth!" shouted Igirre as he glared at her.

"Dragneel has already earned that with the body count that he has, and since you just gave him mine I think we're even now." she replied with a slight smirk as Igirre wanted to argue her but couldn't since she was right.

"So I take it you're both fire drakes?" asked Natsu with a sly grin as he puffed out a smoke ring.

"Yes we are son of Igneel." spat out Igirre with venom, obviously wanting nothing more than to separate his head from his shoulders.

"We'll then you guys aren't even going to be worth my time." he stated confidently as Igirre once again had to be held back since Shevroth could feel something off about Natsu.

"And why do you say that Dragneel, we all can't use our magic since it's pointless because the other will just consume it?" asked Shevroth while slightly struggling to keep Igirre back from attacking Natsu.

"So you guys are not completely up to date on me, or maybe you just disregarded it since it should be impossible." he said while taping his cigar causing the ash to fall from the tip.

"What the hell are you going on about son of Igneel?" snarled Igirre no longer trying to get past Shevroth.

"What I'm saying is that I can consume all of your fire while you two won't be able to do the same to mine." he stated with a smug grin.

"That is quite the bold statement Dragneel." stated Shevroth with an inquisitive look at him.

"If you don't believe me then why don't we give it a try and I'll go first since you two have already provided me with more fire than I usually have in a full month. **FIRE DRAGON'S SMOLDERING ROAR!** " shouted Natsu as he let out the same duel elemental roar that he used in the Grand Magic Games. It was heading straight at Igirre who had a confident smirk on his face since Natsu hollered out fire dragon first so in his mind it didn't matter what the rest was. Shevroth on the other had heard it all and had a face of complete disbelief as the attack headed at her partner, which then turned to a face of complete horror as she realized he would actually try and consume it.

"Igirre don't eat it!" she shouted as he unfortunately started to suck it all in. Leaving her to only sit back and watch what wasn't going to be a pleasant scene in the next few moments. And just like she feared as soon as Natsu stopped his roar Igirre started to choke on the roar he had just consumed, which then turned into roars of pain as he writhed on the ground destroying anything that got in his way.

"You really should have listened to her, and I even told you that it couldn't be done before I did that roar. Well I guess it's my turn to fill up on some magic." said Natsu as he took a wide stance and to Shevroth's shock started to suck in all of the smoke and fire from the surrounding buildings. Confirming once and for all for her that he was indeed a dual elemental dragon slayer, just like they were told earlier but didn't believe since it sounded ridiculous.

"How is that even possible?" she asked as Natsu stopped sucking in the elements.

"Don't know and don't care Shevroth, all I do know is that I'm going to be taking both of your heads for what you did here today." he said with his head down as he started to release his magic as fire and smoke consumed him for a second to then disappear and reveal him in stage two of Dragon Force.

"Dragon Force!" she said in disbelief as she pulled her head back from Natsu's sword as he shouted **"FIRE DRAGON'S SMOLDERING SLASH!"** only dodging the blade that left a trail of smoke in its wake by less than an inch. Realizing that their conversation was obviously over she decided that she needed to go on the offensive and get him on the ropes as soon as possible. But when she slashed at where he landed her claw met with nothing but the stone road that crumbled because of the force she put behind it.

"It's not going to be that easy Shevroth, **"FIRE DRAGON'S SMOLDERING STRIKE!"** came Natsu's voice from her right hind leg as a shot of pain came from something piercing that same leg. While roaring out in pain Shevroth slammed her tail down on the spot where whoever attacked her would be standing, once again not feeling the sensation of someone being dealt with.

 **"FIRE DRAGON'S SMOLDERING EMBERS"** said Natsu as he now stood in front of her with a smug grin as smoke started to roll off of him. She felt like she was honestly facing off against a demon right now with the way he was eyeing her with nothing but the intent to end her life. And add in his ability to add smoke into all of his moves only scared Shevroth even more as he slowly stalked towards her and releasing his magic more. Effectively freezing her in her spot until a maroon tail came in from the side and swatted him into one of the burning builds a few buildings down.

"What the hell's wrong with you Shevroth, he's still just a human?" asked Igirre with a few coughs here and there.

"You're right, it's just the amount of magic he has and also having two elements threw me off." she replied while inspecting the stab wound she received from Natsu seconds ago.

"I really should have finished you off while you were choking on the ground." said Natsu as he emerged from the rubble that was no longer smoking or on fire while wiping his mouth.

"That you should have son of Igneel!" shouted Igirre as he lunged at him. **"FIRE DRAGON'S SMOLDERING SLASH!"** shouted Natsu as he side stepped the attack and gave the attacking drake a long cut on his cheek ending right before it got to his eye.

"It's a mistake that I am never going to repeat again." he stated as Igirre roared out in pain. Luckily realizing that this wasn't a one on one fight like it usually is for him and rolled out of the way as flaming arm and claws slashed through the spot that he just rolled out of.

"That's right Dragneel because you're going to be dead shortly!" hissed Shevroth as she continued to slash at him as he kept dodging or parrying the attacks. He was actually getting the upper hand until Igirre decided that he should help his partner out, which once again resulted in Natsu getting launched into a different building that crumble as he went in.

Both drakes saw this as a great opportunity and started to smash the rubble before he could get out of it with their tails or fists. Wanting to make sure that they flattened him until there was nothing left of him, which is what they did for the next two minutes. Until Shevroth was confident that nothing could have survived a beating like that.

"He's dead Igirre." she stated while backing away from the rubble that was now unable to be determine what stood there before.

"I need to see his body!" shouted Igirre back as he started to dig to try and find it.

"We'll you're definitely not going to find it in there, but I did enjoy watching the two of you pound away on absolutely nothing for a little bit." said Natsu while sitting on a roof from a few buildings down with a smug grin on his face.

"Impossible, I never saw you leave the rubble." he shouted at him wondering what the hell was going on.

"Actually both of you did, but you both just didn't know it. And even if you did, there really wasn't anything that you could have done about it. But I think we should move this along since I have other drakes to go and kill." replied Natsu only to disappear in a puff of smoke, which was then followed by Shevroth roaring out in pain as he started to slash away at her unguarded side.

"Stay away from her!" shouted Igirre as he brought his hand down on Natsu but was surprised when it abruptly stopped.

"Don't worry Igirre I'll be with you once I'm done taking out the smart one of your duo." he said before was swatted away by a flaming claw.

"You don't have the luxury to block moves when you're taking on two of us." said Shevroth as she glared at him while he got back up to his feet after hitting a wall that surprisingly held up against him slamming into it.

"So every true, but you two are honestly the first drakes that I've fought at the same time. Everything else before this was just me against one of them at a time." he replied while rolling his shoulder.

"Then they were idiots to not use their advantage in numbers." she declared as both of them lunged at him. Causing him to always be on the move and only allowing him to land small attacks since he didn't have the time to do a big and devastating one. This continued on for a few more minutes resulting in all of the fighters to have a few more cuts than they did earlier.

"I'd have to agree with you about them not being smart about using their numbers against me. But I did goad them into it saying that of course you drakes wouldn't fight honorably like dragons would in a situation like that." stated Natsu as both parties paused from their fight to reevaluate the situation.

"We're just as honorable as those high and mighty dragons!" yelled Igirre as he smashed one of the last standing buildings with his tail.

"Calm down Igirre, and that was a smart move of you Dragneel. Especially when dealing with any drake that sees himself as an alpha, which is most of them even the ones that serve under another." stated Shevroth with a slight smirk, since it would be similar to how she would deal with multiple drakes attacking her.

"That's why I did it, but I also know that it's not always going to work like our fight for example. Igirre would be more than happy to let me finish him off one on one but you would have intervened whenever you saw an opening." he said while sealing up one of his wounds.

"I'm going to make you choke on those words son of Igneel!" bellowed Igirre to only start coughing again.

"I really doubt that since you two didn't finish me off soon enough. I bet you've both been wondering why your wounds hurt more than they usually do, and that would be thanks to my smoke getting into them during this whole fight. As for you Igirre I'm still amazed that you're able to stand after consuming a different element, it just proves how determined you are to kill me before you die yourself." he said while putting his sword on his back.

"Let's finish this now son of Igneel!" shouted Igirre as he glared at Natsu, knowing that he was right about him only have a little time left.

"Couldn't agree with you more, **FIRE DRAGON'S SMOKE SCREEN!** " shouted Natsu as smoke shot out from him and soon covered most of the town.

"Do you really think that's going to stop us Dragneel?" asked Shevroth as she tried to zone in on his scent.

"Yes I do, **FIRE DRAGON'S PIERCING TALON!** " he shouted from behind Igirre as he brought his foot down onto his wing that made a crunching sound before the drake roared out in pain. But before either of them could do anything he was already gone and back into his smoke waiting for another chance to strike.

"Once I find you son of Igneel I'll rip you limb from limb." declared Igirre as he started to randomly slash at spots that he believed Natsu to be hiding in.

"You've been saying things like that this whole fight." came the voice of Natsu from his right side, causing him to quickly slash without thinking. Causing Shevroth to roar out in pain and strike him right back.

"Pay attention to where you're attacking." she hissed at him.

"Won't matter, **FIRE DRAGON'S PIERCING CLAWS!** " shouted Natsu as he started to attack Igirre with a few quick strikes before vanishing back into the smoke.

"Why can't we smell you!" shouted Igirre barely able to stand anymore.

"Because this smoke smells like both of my magic types since they're both in there. **FIRE DRAGON'S SMOLDERING INFERNO!** " whispered Natsu as he plunged one of his hands into an open wound on Igirre before shouting out the spell. Knowing full well that in doing so it was going to cause Igirre as much pain as possible before he would eventually die.

"You bastard Dragneel!" hissed Shevroth as Igirre let out one long pain filled roar before collapsing onto the ground.

"Sorry Shovreth but I am only giving you two what you deserve after destroying this village and slaughtering everyone that you could." he said from the smoke that seemed to be getting thicker, making it harder for her to breath since it wasn't smoke that came from normal fire.

"Why do you even care Dragneel, it's not like you knew any of them?" she asked before letting out a roar of pain as he started to attack her at the standard weak spots on a drake.

"Because all life has value and shouldn't be extinguished like you drakes seem to enjoy doing!" he shouted as he continued his assault on her. This continued for another five minutes until she was now laying on the ground as he got rid of the smoke to deal the final blow to her.

"Any final words or wishes Shevroth?" he asked as he took his claymore off of his back.

"Yes Dragneel, come out little one everything's going to be alright now." she replied in a soft yet somehow calming voice.

"What the hell are you talking about?" he asked until the sound of a pebble falling caught his attention. Looking behind him he was shocked to see a little girl no older than seven hiding behind a wall and peeking out the side of it. Only letting him see that she was clearly scared right now and whose sliver hair was sprinkled with black since there was so much ash in the air.

"It's okay little one this man would never hurt you." said Shevroth in that same voice as before, and he was shocked when the little girl came out from behind the wall and she slowly and cautiously made her way towards them. All she was wearing was a white dress that used to have blue flowers on it, but that was hard to see now due to the terrible state that it was in. Other than that she didn't even have shoes on, which really concerned Natsu since it was snowing out right now.

"She's right, I won't hurt you." he said while lowering himself to her level and smiling at her.

"You promise?" she asked only a few feet away from him.

"Yep and I only want to help you, my name's Natsu." he replied while still smiling at her.

"Mine's Liza Mr. Natsu." she replied only to jump back when Shevroth started to chuckle.

"A polite one aren't you little one? And you have nothing to be afraid of with him still standing there." said Shevroth as Natsu turned to look at her again with Liza quickly coming up behind him and hiding behind his legs.

"What are you doing Shevroth?" he asked in a threatening tone while glaring at her, now concerned that she might use Liza against him.

"Calm down Dragneel, you already know I'm going to die. But before I do I think I can help this little one." she replied with a sly grin.

"I'm not going to let you touch her." he growled out while getting ready to deliver the finishing blow in a second's notice.

"It's good that you still don't trust me Dragneel, keep that up and you should be fine for at least a few more months." she said with a weary smile.

"I should finish you off now since you're obviously stalling." he stated ready to end the downed drake in front of him.

"Wait, just let the little one touch my nose if I so much as twitch you can end me before I can do anything else." she said in soft tone.

"It's up to her to decide if she wants to do that." he replied while still glaring at the dying drake.

"I don't really have a say in this do I." she stated with another weary grin.

"No you don't, so it's up to you Liza if you want to listen to Shevroth here and touch her nose." he said while giving the little girl a reassuring smile.

"She won't hurt me like she did to everyone else?" asked Liza while still clutching his leg.

"I wouldn't let her Liza and that's a promise." he stated while still smiling down on her.

"What will happen if I touch the dragon?" asked Liza causing Shevroth to start chuckling again at being called a dragon this time.

"I don't know what will happen, but she thinks it'll help you somehow." he replied as he patted her on the head.

"I'll help you unlock your magic that you don't even realize that you have." stated Shevroth quietly since it was becoming harder for her to talk.

"My magic?" asked Liza as she looked up at Natsu with a confused look.

"It's what allows me to do this, but every person's is different." he explained while having a little ball of fire form on his hand. Making her eyes go wide at him being able to do such a thing so casually and him also not getting burned by it.

"Okay, I'll do it." she replied while stepping out from behind him and slowly walking towards Shevroth on wobbly legs.

"It's okay Liza; I won't let anything bad happen to you. And you don't have to do this if you don't want to." said Natsu as he decided to have his blade now hovering over Shevroth's eye just in case.

"Just a little closer little one." said Shevroth as Liza slowly reached out her hand to touch her nose. And as soon as she did Natsu and her both expected something to happen but were surprised to watch Shevroth smile at them as she closed her eyes. Letting Natsu know that she passed on and truly didn't mean Liza any harm.

"Nothing happened Mr. Natsu." stated Liza with a confused and disappointed look on her face as she turned back to him.

"You can just call me Natsu, and unfortunately that happens sometimes Liza. And aren't you cold only wearing just that dress of yours?" he asked as he put his sword back on his back.

"Nope, it's really warm around you Mr. Natsu." she replied with a sad smile as she looked at the remains of her village. Seeing this Natus knelt down to her so they could talk face to face while also getting some of the ash out of her hair.

"Do you know if your parents made it out before the dragons showed up?" he asked, hating that he had to do it but it was the only way to possibly know where to start looking for her parents.

"My parents weren't here." she replied as her eyes started to tear up.

"Hey it's okay, I'll help you find them." said Natsu hoping to keep her from crying.

"You won't be able to find them since they don't want me." she replied while breaking down and started to cry. Not realizing that she was crying into Natsu's shoulder since he instantly brought her into a hug and started to try and calm her down. The first step was letting her get all of this out since she had definitely been through an ordeal that no little kid should ever have to go through. So for the next few minutes Liza cried as he kept reassuring her that he would be there for her and help her in any way possible.

"Now why do you think your parents won't want you?" he asked with a slight frown since he knew how she felt, since it was one of the things that he still questioned to this very day.

"Because they left me with my grandpa and grandma when I was only two." she replied with a little sniffle before wiping her nose on his coat.

"That doesn't mean they didn't want you Liza, maybe they were forced to do that to keep you safe." he said with a smile directed at her.

"Do you really think so Mr. Natsu?" she asked with another little sniffle.

"You never know Liza, but I'm positive that whatever reason they left you with your grandparents was the hardest decision they ever had to make. Because from what I know, a parent would do anything for their kid to keep them safe and happy, even if it meant that they might not get to see them again." he replied still smiling at her.

"But why haven't they come back yet?" she asked as her eyes started to tear up again.

"I don't know, but I can try and help you find out." he replied while hugging her again, which she accepted and started to cry again into his shoulder.

"So I really hate to ask this but did either of your grandparents escape?" he asked while she still clutched to him and shook her head no as she continued to cry.

"It's okay Liza, I'm not going anywhere but I still need to check and see if anyone else survived." said Natsu while standing back up and holding her with his left arm. Since she was still clutching onto him and obviously not wanting to let go and be left all alone like she was before she finally came out of her hiding spot.

"Can I stay with you?" she asked below a whisper not knowing that he could actually hear her.

"As long as you want to." he replied while adjusting her position slightly so he could possibly use his other arm to move debris without disturbing her. And he then started to inspect the village trying to find any other survivors, which after another ten minutes came up with no other signs of life. Now making him really regret that he didn't deal with the two drakes faster, possibly saving a few more lives. Even though they were probably his toughest fight excluding Morenth, whose burns still give him pains every now and then.

"Liza I am going to need to do some work that you're probably not going to want to see." he stated while heading back to the bodies of the two drakes. Waiting for her to reply back to him but got nothing from the little girl in his arms on the two minute walk back.

"Liza…" he started but realized that she fallen asleep clutching him as they walked around the town. This brought a little smile to his face since she had a small smile on her face, which let him know that she was somehow sleeping without having nightmares about what just happened to her.

"I guess I'll only take the necessities this time." he said out loud to himself as he started to remove the claws and teeth. Then only taking some of the scales while making sure to not wake Liza or get any of the gore on her. All of this took another twenty minutes, leaving him with the last thing that he'd rather not have to do but needed to, before he left his place to never return to it again.

 **End of the Chapter**

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Happy Thanksgiving!**

 **Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. And don't worry I actually have the next chapter already uploaded so there isn't going to be a terrible cliffhanger making you wonder what happened to the rest of Fairy Tail. Also I know that I said it was only going to be one more chapter before I got to the next year, which it was but then I realized that it was like a twenty thousand word long chapter. And for me at least that seemed too long so I broke it into two. Well that's it and hope you leave me a review or pm and continue on to read the next chapter right away.**

 **Until the next Chapter, that is already up!**

 **Digem Out!**


	23. Passing of Another Year

**Quick Note that someone pointed out to me, is that some of you might not have realized that I uploaded two chapters one right after the other. So if you happen to be one of those people you might want to read the chapter before this before you start this one.**

Ch 23: Passing of Another Year

 **November X786 in Magnolia:**

"This wasn't supposed to be how this turned out." she thought as she took off running down a street. While passing by buildings on fire or ones that were being dissolved to nothing more than a pile of goop. Others were just smashed to pieces or blow apart and scattered all over the surrounding area.

"All of Fairy Tail only had to deal with three drakes this time, so how did everything end up turning out this bad. They had a dragon slayer for each drake which should have been enough, but that was proven to be a false assumption." she thought as she rounded the corner and saw her opponent she went after in the hopes of preventing it from getting to the wounded mages that fell back from the front lines of the battle.

 **Moments earlier:**

"Did you really think we'd let you pesky little humans run away?" asked the white drake in a sickly sweet tone as it eyed its prey.

"Honestly no, but we had to try didn't we." replied Nab as he got in between the drake and the other wounded mages that consisted of a lot of the newer members that weren't ready for this at all. Also among them were Reedus, Laki, Romeo who slipped away from his father, Vijeeter, and unfortunately Sting who was taken down while blocking an attack from killing one of the already wounded members.

"I guess you did, but this is where all of you die." stated the drake with a smile making its way across its face.

"Bring it on you overgrown lizard!" hollered Nab as he spit out some blood and charged at the drake.

"Nab what are you doing?" screamed Laki as she clutched her broken arm and tried to go after him but was stopped by Reedus who was barely holding back his tears.

"Laki we need to go right now!" said Reedus with a sad expression as he had Vijeeter slung over one shoulder with Sting slung under that arm as well.

"No we need to help Nab before he gets himself killed!" she shouted at him while shaking loose his grasp on her.

"He's only do this so that the rest of us can get to safety Laki, so please do this for him since it's what he wants." he replied as tears started to escape from his eyes no longer caring. She looked back and could easily see that the drake was just toying with Nab, who knew this as well but didn't care since it was giving them time to hopefully get to the bunker under Fairy Tail.

"Nab you better not die because of this." she yelled at him before taking off after the other with tears of her own coming down her cheeks.

"I won't Laki!" declared Nab as he jumped back from a tail crashing down on him.

"You honestly think you can hold me off?" asked the drake as it licked its teeth that it showed off while smiling at him.

"Long enough for them to get away to a place where you won't be able to harm them." he said while glaring back at the drake.

"We'll see about that human." said the drake before lunging at him with its mouth wide open ready to bite him in half.

"NAB!" came the scream from Ultear as she just rounded the corner in time to see the drake lunge at him. But she and the drake were both stunned when it couldn't close its jaw because of Nab having one of his feet on the bottom jaw while both of his arms were holding the upper jaw just a few inches away from his shoulder.

"I said you're not getting to them." grunted out Nab as he started to open up the drakes mouth wider. Causing both the drake's and Ultear's eyes to widen at the show of strength he was displaying as he continued to open up the drake's mouth wider. The drake let out a deep growl as it tried to overpower him but was surprised to have no such luck, deciding that there were other was to deal with the human in its mouth.

 **"ICE-MAKE: ROSEN KRONE!"** shouted Ultear as spiked branches made out of purple ice shot from the ground and latched onto the arm of the drake that was just seconds away from impaling Nab. The drake let out another infuriated growl before trying to use its other arm, soon finding out that it too was being held back by the same ice creation that was holding its other arm.

"Thanks Ultear!" grunted Nab still in the mouth of the drake.

"No problem, now just get the hell out of there!" she shouted at him.

"Yeah about that, I don't think I can." he replied while struggling to still hold the jaws apart that we now actually slowly getting closer together.

"Idiot, just give me a second and shit." she started to say until the drake shattered the ice around one of its arm with its tail. Causing her to once again cast the same spell again and tried to do the same with the tail but couldn't since the drake was able to keep it move and breaking her ice before it could be pinned down.

"That doesn't sound good." he grunted back.

"It isn't Nab and I think you're going to have to figure out a way out of there on your own." she replied while concentrating on keeping the drake pinned down as much as possible for as long as she could. And she unfortunately knew that wasn't going to be for much longer.

"I've only really got one option." he stated while giving her a quick grin.

"You have to be kidding me Nab, think of something else." she shouted back at him, not liking the grin he had. But she knew that he was smart enough to know that he wasn't going to be getting out of a situation like this unscathed.

"We both know it's only an option of what I prefer to try and keep." he replied coming to a decision in his mind.

"Come on Nab, think of something else." she said with a frown as she looked back at him.

"There isn't." he said while looking at her as he let go and tried to get out from in between them. But he was only able to get his upper half out of the way as the mouth of the drake closed down on his left leg. Letting out a snapping sound as Nab screamed out in pain as his left leg from the knee down was snapped clean off.

" **ICE-MAKE: ROSEN KRONE!"** shouted Ultear as the drake's head was slammed into the ground as her branches now entangled all of it so it could no longer move. **"INFINITE DAGGER!"** she shouted as she then launched her dagger at the pinned drake as numerous copies of the dagger did the same thing.

"I will not let you harm the only place to ever treat me like I was part of their family!" she shouted as she continued to assault the drake with more and more daggers. Eventually even destroying some of her ice in the process and letting the drake break free.

"You're as good as dead now human!" bellowed the drake as it stood up and glared at her now littered with wounds all over its body.

"I was about to say the same to you drake, **FLASH FORWARD!** " she shouted as even more copies of the dagger appeared than when she did her Infinite Dagger spell. All of them then launched themselves at the drake that tried to blast them away with its air but did nothing to stop them so it the tired to swat them down but that only exposed weaker spots that the daggers then sunk into. The barrage of daggers lasted for almost a full minute and when she stopped the drake was on the ground barely breathing.

"Remind me to never piss you off." said Nab with a little chuckle now looking deathly pale as he tried to stop his leg from bleeding.

"Here let me stop that for you." she said with a faint smile as she stumble towards him and closed the wound with her ice.

"Thanks again Ultear, and you've been a part of our family as soon as Natsu brought you through those front doors." stated Nab as he slowly closed his eyes.

"Thanks Nab, but I need to take a seat or I'm going to pass out soon." she replied while sitting down on the ground right next to him.

"You've earned it." he said with a grin while still having his eyes closed.

"This is all going to make for one hell of a story." she stated as she too closed her eyes and passed out from exhaustion.

 **On the front lines:**

A body could be seen crashing through a few buildings and finally coming to a stop as it skidded for a few yards. As the person tried to get back to their feet another one appeared right in front of them offering a hand to get up. Which the person usually would have denied but given the circumstances, they were going to use all the help that they can get.

"Man is he pissed at you Cobra." stated Jet with a little grin.

"Yeah who would have thought he wouldn't like to hear that his flames are weak compared to Salamander's." replied Cobra as a grin made its way across his own lips.

"Well now we know if you want to piss off a fire drake just mention Natsu's flames being stronger." said Jet as an angry roar could be heard coming closer to them.

"Let's keep that info from Salamander since I have a feeling he'll somehow use that to brag." he said while popping his shoulder back into place and making sure he could still use it.

"Honestly I would trade him bragging about that for the rest of my life, if that meant he would show up right this instant." stated Jet as he looked at the city of Magnolia that was on fire with buildings slowly melting or just being demolished by the fight that was happening all over the place.

"I would to, but that stays between the two of us." he agreed while glaring at the speedster letting him know that he meant it.

"I thought that went without saying for anything related to wanting his help?" asked Jet as he moved out of the way of a falling roof that smashed to the right side of Cobra, where he was just only moments ago.

"Well aren't you a tough little fire lizard." taunted Cobra completely disregarding Jet's last comment as a black and red drake came charging at him in a blind rage. He knew that his comment would most likely have that effect on the drake so he jumped into the air easily dodging the attack.

 **"POISON DRAGON'S SCALES!"** he shouted while still in mid-air and rained down scale shaped masses of poison onto the angry drake that then roared out in pain.

"You'll pay for that human!" it roared only to stagger a bit as it the felt sharp pain shot from his hind legs as a blur speed away.

"I'll admit that I was concerned that all fire users could withstand my poison Rugarth. But that just seems like another thing that Salamander is better than you at." taunted Cobra as he ducked underneath another lunge that had Rugarth crashing into a building.

"So like I was saying before, now I realize you were just burning up my poison before it got to you since you used to have it covering your whole body. But as soon as you stopped doing that you signed your own death, which I am now betting you realize as you're finding it harder and harder to keep moving." said Cobra as he now glared at the downed drake that only growled back at him.

"It looks like you really didn't need my help anymore." stated Jet as he appeared next to him.

"That's what I said ten minutes ago." he replied not taking his eyes off of the drake.

"Sorry for wanting to make sure since he was initially handing your ass to you." said Jet with a smug grin spread across his face.

"Why the hell don't you go and help someone else that actually needs it." he growled out as he coated his right hand in poison and started to advance on the downed drake.

"You're right, I should check on Ultear since she went after that air drake." said Jet before taking off in the direction he last saw the white drake heading.

"Her name was Venia." mumbled Cobra as he was now only a few feet away from Rugarth's head.

"I'm surprised you even remembered her name slayer!" he growled while glaring up at him.

"I understand that you drakes only give out your name when you're fighting a worthy opponent, so after hearing it it's my responsibility to remember it in honor for their last fight." replied Cobra as he took another step closer.

"It seems that there are indeed other humans we need to be concerned about other than Salamander. Because after facing that first group of humans we were all confident that the intel we had on you lot was completely wrong." he stated with a slight grin.

"Glad that I could prove you wrong Rugarth, but I have friends that might need my help so I need to finish this." stated Cobra as he pulled back his arm and then plunged it through Rugarth's eye and into his brain, making sure that the fight was definitively over. Taking a step back he fell to his knees while holding his gut, which he then unzipped his coat to get a better look at the wound he received earlier.

"Fuck, I don't think I'm going to be of any use to them like this. If I was Salamander I'd seal this thing back up with my fire and be right back out there fighting them with that crazed grin he his." said Cobra to himself as he winced in pain as he touched the cut that went from one side to the other, checking to see how deep it was. And unfortunately it wasn't just a flesh wound like he told everyone when he first received it and zipped up is coat to keep more pressure on it, but mainly to get the other members to stop worrying about him.

As he lay down he looked up at the sky that had snow slowly falling from it and couldn't help the smile from forming on his face. That came from thinking about how much his life had actually changed for the better ever since he joined Fairy Tail, a guild he used to curse for getting him locked up. But it eventually became the one thing he almost cared as much about as he cared for her, who was going to give him such a scolding for still fighting after receiving such a severe wound. This caused Cobra to start chuckling since he finally had people that actually cared about his wellbeing and weren't trying to use him like everyone else that he ever worked with up till this point.

 **With the remaining Drake:**

"Why do we always get stuck with the weird ones?" asked Meredy as she dove out of the way of acid that instantly dissolved the wall behind her in a matter of seconds.

"Maybe it's because you guys are always with Natsu and know how to pretty much handle anything." replied Rogue as he came out of the drakes shadow and started to attack it's underbelly with shadow covered punches and kicks.

"Or you three could just be really unlucky." said Droy with a grin as he wiped way some blood that was going to drip into his eye.

"I'd have to say that you three just can't help but go after the toughest opponent if given the option, and that's all Natsu's fault for teaching you to be like him." stated Max as he unleashed a torrent of sand on the drake temporarily blinding it.

"Does it really matter Meredy, we have an objective to complete which is taking down this acid spitting drake." said Kagura as she slashed the slickly green colored drake's right leg as vines tangled the left leg thanks to Droy.

"I guess not, but I really don't know how much longer I can last." stated Meredy as she showered the drake with her teal magic blades that had very little effect on the drake.

"I hate to admit this but I'm not going to last much longer either." said Max with a frown.

"We just need to hold out until we receive more support." shouted Droy as he chucked some more seeds at the drake hoping to hold it down a little longer.

"How much longer is that going to be?" asked Kei with a concerned look in the direction that Cole was sent flying to a while ago.

"Sorry guys, but I don't think you're going to be getting any in the near future." came the voice of Warren in all of their heads.

"Why the hell not, we're all running low on magic here?" shouted Max as just barely block some acid that was shot at him with a wall of sand.

"Cole needs to be taken to receive medical attention right away and all of the other members are either too injured to fight anymore or are still dealing with the other drakes." he replied.

"Shit, that's not something you want to hear." said Droy with a frown.

"Doesn't matter since I'm taking this bastard down for what he did to Sting!" shouted Rogue as he appeared on the back of the drake and started to attack the wing and base of the neck.

"How the hell does he even still have that much magic left?" asked Kagura as she used Rogue's current furry of attacks to catch her breath.

"I'm starting to think that dragon slaying magic is always attached to their emotions." stated Meredy as the drake let out a pained filled roar as it tried to remove Rogue from its back.

"You could actually be onto something there Meredy." said Max as he sent two blasts of sand from his hands hurtling at the drake.

"Kagura I think I could finish this for us." said Kei as she came up to her.

"You do, that's great Kei what did you have in mind?" asked Kagura with a small smile.

"I could give her control again." she replied quietly so that only Kagura could hear her.

"Absolutely not Kei, that's still too dangerous for you to do while Natsu isn't around." hissed Kagura as she pulled Kei farther away from the fight.

"I know but, it's better than watching everyone else die isn't it?" she asked with a sad expression as if she had lived through something like that before. And she looked like willing to do anything to never experience something like that ever again.

"I won't let that happen either." declared Kagura with a determined look only for it to turn to a shocked one as Rogue went flying past them.

"Sometimes you don't have a choice Kagura." she replied with her head down.

"Well this isn't one of those times Kei, and they definitely need the both of us now." said Kagura as she charged back in.

"Come on Kei, you only have a small fraction of the power right now compared to what I have at my disposal when you give me control." said Aries inside of her head.

"Are you not going to hurt any of my friends?" she asked back.

"I wouldn't dream of it since I want to be friends with you and that Salamander fellow." said Aires in a cheery tone.

"Why are you so interested in Natsu?" she asked since he seemed to always come up whenever she talked with Aries.

"As I've told him, he intrigues me and there aren't many mages out there that could have brought you back after you lost control like that." answered Aries.

"If you are able to beat this drake and not hurt any of my friends I guess I could give you control." she replied, hoping that Natsu and Kagura would understand why she had to do this.

"Just say the words and sit back and enjoy the show darling." said Aries in an excited tone since she was going to be let out for the first time since the last time the drakes attacked.

"You have…" started Kei until another voice popped into her head.

"Kei you don't need to do that, Aries true objectives are still unknown." said Warren sounding a little winded.

"You know about her?" asked Kei in a shocked tone since she thought the only ones that knew were her little group she always hangs out with. And the other dragon slayers since they live with Natsu and are the only other ones that spend a lot of time with her besides her little group.

"Mind reader, so yeah I found out about her once I started to teach you how to guard your mind better." he replied.

"Don't listen to him Kei, I can guarantee that no one else will get hurt which isn't something he can do." stated Aries in an angry tone since a third party felt the need to intrude on her chances of having fun.

"Kei I'm not going to say that no one else will get hurt, but trust me when I say that we're capable of dealing with that drake you guys are fighting right now without her taking control of you." he said in a serious tone that let her know he most likely had a poker face on while saying that.

"But if I let her have control I know no one will die." she stated in an insecure voice that cracked a little.

"Would you trust Natsu if he told you that he had everything under control?" he asked her.

"Yes, but he's been dealing with drakes forever now." she argued.

"True, but even if he wasn't going to be the one dealing with the drake you would still trust him." he stated.

"Yeah I guess." she replied.

"Good, now all I'm asking is for you to just trust the rest of us a fraction of what you trust him. And I promise you that you won't regret it." he said.

"Come on Kei, you were just about to let me fix all of this for you, which I can still do for you. All you have to do is say those words and then you have nothing left to worry about." said Aries in a gentle tone, causing Kei to remain quite for a few more moments.

"Sorry Aries, but I have to go with them." she said with a slight smile.

"Well if things take a turn for the worse Kei that'll all be on your hands." said Aries in an angry tone.

"Don't listen to her Kei and they could probably use your help." said Warren before cutting off their connection.

"What took you so long Kei?" asked Kagura as she landed next to her gracefully dodging some acid.

"I was just working something out." she replied with a faint smile.

"Glad to know that you trust us." said Kagura before charging back in with Kei following. They continued to attack the drake for a few more minutes but without any dragon slayer they were barely doing any damage to it.

"I hear you guys needed some help." said Jet with a big grin as he was casually sitting on probably the only undamaged roof in the entire city.

"Yes we do so get your lazy ass down here." shouted Droy as he glared at his best friend who seemed like he was thinking all of this was some sort of joke.

"I don't really think I need to." he stated causing most of them to look at him as if he was crazy.

"Jet I swear to god I'll tell Natsu that you hit on me if you don't help us." threatened Meredy as she glared at him.

"Holy crap Meredy he'd literally kill me!" shouted Jet now back on his feet.

"Yes he would, so get your ass down her and help!" she shouted at him.

"Once again I'm going to go with no, and that's because I'm positive that those two are going to have it taken care of." he replied while pointing to a destroyed building that had two small figure standing on it.

 **"HOLY SHADOW DRAGON'S DEVASTATING ROAR!"** came the loud shout from the two youngest dragon slayers as their roars collided together and then shot towards the drake. And right before it connected with the drake the black and white roars melded together becoming a purplish color.

The other mages watched in disbelief as the drake was launched to the side while roaring out in pain louder than it ever had before. And before it could get back to its feet the two dragon slayers where already on it attacking it savagely trying to make sure it stayed down. They kept that up for another two minutes until they both staggered away from it covered in blood only to then fall on their backs with proud grins on their faces as they looked up at the snowy sky.

"Holy shit those two were little monsters." declared Droy as he looked from the now defeated drake back to the boys lying on the ground too tired to move.

"I thought Sting was taken out?" asked Max as he couldn't believe what he just witnessed.

"He was until just a few minutes ago, Warren said I should grab him and Rogue and bring them to you guys as your reinforcements since your drake was the last one standing." explained Jet as he jumped down from the roof.

"You really might be on to something Meredy about that whole slayer thing." said Kagura with a smile.

"What are you talking about Kagura?" asked Jet as he walked over to the group now forming around the two boys still lying on the ground.

"I said that I think all dragon slayer's magic might be connected to their emotions." stated Meredy with her usual smile.

"Nope, that's not true according to what Salamander told me." declared Sting while raising a hand in the air.

"And what did he say to you exactly?" she asked while glaring at him now, which he completely ignored or didn't notice.

"He said that all magic is connected to the mage's emotions, but for most people you can't notice it." he stated with a happy little grin.

"And in Natsu's case you can easily tell since he can harness them to make his attacks stronger. He's also trying to teach us how to do that so we can protect the things that we care about." continued Rogue as he was helped up by Droy.

"Well I'm still kind of right then and maybe all of your magic is just easier to do that with." she stated with a smug look on her face.

"Nope you're still wrong, let's go make snow angles." declared Sting as he hoped up and took off for the guild.

"Sting I'm not wrong you idiot!" shouted Meredy as she chased after him.

"How the hell do they still have that much energy?" asked Max who looked like he was about to pass out.

"Because we're not old like you guys are." said Rogue with a little grin before he too took off after the other two.

"Well I'm fine with being old then." declared Droy with a little grin.

"Sorry guys but I'm not an old man yet." said Jet with a smirk before he took off after them, stopping to push the two boys into snow banks. He was going to do it to Meredy too but her glare stopped him and sent him racing to the guild.

"They look like their having fun." said Kei with a smile as the three that took off a head of them were now having a snowball fight with the two slayers teaming up Meredy.

"They are, and Meredy looks like she could use some help." stated Kagura with a smile.

"Meredy I'm coming!" shouted Kei as she took off to help her out against the two little demons attacking her right now.

"If you blocked out the destroyed town you'd think this was a scene from a normal snow day." pointed out Max with a grin.

"That you would, and I'm surprised that they are all just messing around already after fighting with a drake just a few minutes ago." stated Droy as a grin spread across his face as well.

"From what I've heard Sting is like another Natsu when he was that age." stated Kagura with the same smile that she had from before.

"Yeah he is which is why he's probably able to get the others to have fun with him so easily." said Droy.

"Choosing to act like an idiot sometimes so everyone else can have some fun." said Max.

"Are you sure it's acting?" asked Kagura with a bigger smile than before.

"Honestly that's something I'm still trying to figure out about Natsu." he replied as the other two started to chuckle with him.

 **With Natsu:**

"Man that village was pretty much out in the middle of nowhere." thought Natsu as he continued to follow the old sent of the Rune Knights since their tracks were now completely covered by the snow that was constantly falling. He knew that if he followed the path that they took to the village he would eventually find a town or city with a train station that would allow him to return home since waiting for Doranbolt could take days for all he knew. And there was no way in hell that he was going to just sit around like that with Liza now relying on him, who was still asleep in his arms.

"Daddy, mommy please don't go." mumbled Liza in her sleep as she clutched him tighter. So much for her having pleasant dreams he thought now having a frown as he looked down at the little girl clutching him for dear life with a scrunched up face.

"Shh its okay Liza I won't leave you." he said quietly to her while gently rubbing her back, which seemed to at least get rid of the odd face she was making earlier. Looking back up he could just barely see the lights of a town in the distance, which gave him a small grin since he never thought he would ever be actually seeking out a train. But here he was looking for a train so he go have a few words with the Council and then return to Magnolia were he hoped everyone was still alright.

"Where are we?" asked Natsu as he startled the man in the ticket booth at the train station.

"We're at the Camellias train station." stuttered out the elderly man not knowing exactly what Natsu wanted.

"I can't recall where that is on the map, so how long would it take for me to get to the Magic Council's Headquarters from here?" he asked with a slightly upset face causing the old man to take a step back.

"It's just a seven hour ride Sir." said the man as he looked at the scar's on Natsu's face, then finally noticing the little silver haired girl he had in his arms.

"How long would it take to get to Magnolia?" he asked in a somewhat nicer tone than his previous two questions.

"An additional seven hours and where did two of you come from exactly? Because last I knew the snow was still coming down pretty hard and you both aren't dressed to be walking around in this weather." said the old man with a concerned expression on his face as he looked at Liza.

"We came from Bergamot, and we're both fine since I'm a fire mage." stated Natsu as he noticed there wasn't a train even in the station.

"That's were all those Rune Knights were heading earlier today, do you happen to know why they were heading out to a small village like that?" asked the man.

"Yeah, to go fight some drakes and when is the next train going to be leaving this place?" he asked while gently adjusting Liza just a bit.

"Not until tomorrow Sir, unless the Council sends a special train like they did with all of those Rune Knights. So do you know how everything is going up there in Bergamot?" asked the only attendant in the train station with a small smile.

"Shit, I guess I have no choice but to wait until then I guess. And yeah I do old man, they all died and nothing remains of Bergamot anymore." he replied with a frown.

"You have to be joking, there were so many knights and they even had a Wizard Saint with them." said the old man with a scared look on his face.

"Does it look like I'm joking? This little girl was the only survivor from Bergamot, and being a Wizard Saint doesn't mean shit when facing off against multiple drakes." he said still with an upset frown.

"This can't be happening; I knew most of the people in Bergamot. They were some of the kindest people you could ever meet." stated the man as he took a seat before he fell over.

"Doesn't really matter to drakes how kind people are and is it okay if we stay here until the next train comes?" asked Natsu as he looked over at the benches.

"Sure thing Sir, and shouldn't we call the Council to inform them what happened and warn the town?" asked the man coming out of his little booth and starting to panic.

"Calm down old timer, no need to panic." he stated with a grin.

"No need to panic, you just told me that drakes destroyed Bergamot and they could be heading here to do the same thing to Camellias!" shouted the old man, which he instantly regretted when seeing the glare he was receiving from Natsu.

"She's trying to sleep!" he hissed at him.

"S-s-s-sorry I f-f-f-forgot…" the old man stuttered while backing away from them.

"You're lucky she did wake up, and the reason that you don't need to panic is because I dealt with the drakes." he said in his normal voice as he smiled down at Liza who was still somehow asleep.

"You were able to actually do what a Wizard Saint and a whole two regimens of Rune Knights couldn't?" asked the man in complete disbelief.

"Sure did, but it's kind of what I'm known for now." he replied with a sad little grin.

"You don't mean to say that you're Salamander?" asked the guy with his eyes wide open.

"The one and only, now only if the Council had brought me in on this right away maybe Bergamot would still be standing." said Natsu with a hint of anger directed at the Council as the old man just remained there speechless. Natsu deciding that he needed to sit, so he decided to head over to the benches and sat down in one of them making sure to still not disturb Liza and closed his eyes while letting out a long sigh.

 **The next Day:**

"Wake up Mr. Natsu." said Liza as she started to poke his face. That happened to make little movements when she did it so she of course continued to poke his face while letting out little giggles at his facial expressions.

"Five more minutes Happy." mumbled Natsu as he tried to turn his head away from her.

"It's me Liza, Mr. Natsu and the nice old man said you needed to wake up soon or you're going to miss the train." she replied while giving his face another poke that seemed to finally do the trick.

"Sorry about that Liza, I must have been more tired than I thought." he replied with his usual grin.

"Do you want some food Mr. Natsu?" she asked while almost hitting his face with a sandwich.

"No I'm fine but where did you even get that?" he asked since just realized that he was still holding her protectively and was doing so the whole time he slept.

"The nice old man gave it to me and some other stuff, he said it was the least he could do for us." she replied with a smile as she pointed at the man Natsu was talking with last night. Who had a smile on his face as he waved back to Liza who then returned it with her own happy little wave.

"That was nice of him." he stated with a grin.

"Where are we going Mr. Natsu?" she asked before taking a big bite out of the sandwich she offered to him.

"Well I was planning on going to talk with a few friends of mine and tell them why they're all a bunch of idiots. But that can wait, do you know of any other family or friends you could stay with?" he asked her and instantly regretted it as her eyes started to tear up.

"No, Mr. Natsu." she replied while trying to not cry.

"Shh it's okay Liza, and remember that I said that I'll stay with you as long you want." he said with a smile and in a warm tone.

"Do you promise?" she asked looking up at him with hopeful eyes.

"I promise Liza, and you really don't have to call me Mr. Natsu." he replied with his usual grin as she smiled brightly up at him.

"But grandma and grandpa always told me to say that when talking to adults." she said with a confused look on her face that Natsu found cute.

"And they're correct about that Liza, but I like to be different from most people." he explained as the train pulled into the station.

"Can I still call you Mr. Natsu?" asked Liza with a little smile.

"You can call me whatever you want Liza, but let's go get our tickets and get out of here." he answered while getting up.

"Where are we going after you talk with your friends?" she asked while Natsu carried her towards the ticket booth.

"After that I plan on taking us to even better friends of mine to make sure that they're all okay." he replied as he came up the window and was handed tickets before he could even ask for them.

"They're on the house Salamander, just keep an eye on her." said the man with a smile.

"Are you sure, I have plenty of jewels." he stated while getting some out.

"That's really not necessary; all of Camellias is in your debt for doing what the Council couldn't. Now go give them hell for being a bunch of idiots as you called them." stated the old man as he chuckled at Natsu's grin.

"Thanks old timer, and you can count on that." he replied as the turned around and headed towards the train.

"Bye Mr. nice old man!" said Liza as she waved to him over Natsu's shoulder.

"Bye!" he said back while waving to her. And I'm not really that old he thought to himself as a smile crept up on his face as the two entered the train.

 **Several hours later:**

"Then what happened Mr. Natsu?" asked Liza with big eyes since Natsu was telling her about some of his adventures. The one that he was telling right now was nothing more than a guild brawl that he started a few years back that ended in a way he would never forget.

"That's when I hit Gray really hard in his face and sent him fly across the guild. It wouldn't have been that bad if he didn't landed on Erza's strawberry cheesecake, and I already told you how mad she gets when someone ruins that didn't I?" he asked with a big grin as she nodded her head quickly.

"Apparently this time she was so mad that she wouldn't even listen to him try and explain how it was all my fault. So for the next few minutes everyone watched her beat him silly and then toss him right out one of the windows." he finished while chuckling at the memory.

"I can't wait to meet them Mr. Natsu." she replied with a big smile that turned to a confused one when Natsu's face became slightly sad.

"Sorry Liza, but most of the people I've talked with you about went missing a while ago and I don't know if they'll come back anytime soon." he replied with a sad smile.

"Just like my parents?" she asked with a sad look.

"Yeah just like your parents Liza." he answered trying to have his usual smile or grin but couldn't seem to muster either of them up.

"It hurts that they're gone." she said while having her head down.

"Yea it does, but we both need to be strong for them." he stated with a little grin.

"I don't think I can do that Mr. Natsu." she replied with a little sniffle.

"Of course you can Liza, I bet it doesn't hurt as much as it used to. At least that was how it was for me when my dad went missing." he said trying to cheer her up.

"Your dad left you?" she asked looking up at him with teary eyes.

"Yeah unfortunately he did, but that was after my real parents left me out in the woods first. Luckily Igneel took me in and raised me as his own and taught me magic." replied Natsu with an actual smile.

"You were left two times?" she asked with a surprised look.

"Yep, but I don't remember my real parents and can only remember my time with Igneel so I only count it as once." he said and was surprised that she started to cry.

"I can't remember my parents either." she got out between sobs as she buried her face in his chest.

"Shh its okay Liza, I didn't mean to upset you by saying that. I know it's just as painful maybe even more so since you can't remember them. But you'll find people out there that can help make the pain go away and not hurt as much as it used to." he whispered in her ear while rubbing small circles on her back.

"Really Mr. Natsu?" she asked still with her head in his chest.

"Absolutely, for me it was everyone at Fairy Tail." he said with a fond smile.

"What do I do if I find one of these people?" she asked taking her head off his chest and looking up at him with her tear stained checks.

"Then you should stick with them and help them out whenever you can." he replied while giving her his usual grin.

"Okay Mr. Natsu then I'm sticking with you because it doesn't hurt as much when I'm with you." she stated while wiping away her tears with an arm and smiling up at him.

"Good, because I feel the same when I'm with you." he replied while his grin got bigger.

"Thank you Mr. Natsu!" she said while hugging him as hard as she could.

"Like I said before Liza, I won't leave you as long as you want me around." he said while hugging her back.

"I'm kind of like you now." she stated while enjoying the hug they were still sharing.

"How so?" he asked not knowing what she was thinking.

"Well you couldn't remember your parents then someone took you and raised you like their own. And that's what you're doing for me now." she answered in a nervous tone, since she pretty much asked him to be her father.

"Is that what you want?" he asked back. She was too afraid to ask believing that he'd say no to her so she mustered up all her determination and nodded into his chest again. The next few seconds seemed like an eternity for her as Natsu didn't say or do anything until his hug tightened ever so slightly.

"Then you're a Dragneel now Liza and I'll always come back to you." he said as a warm smile came over him as she hugged him back. Thinking to himself that if this is what Igneel felt when he hugged his nose, then he finally understood how the dragon was able to put up with him for all of those years.

"Thank you, thank you." she said over and over again while hugging him.

"I'll always do what I can for you Liza, you're family now." he said to her after she finally stopped saying that and looked up at him. Only for her to hug him again and burying her face in his chest gain.

"Daddy." she whispered while still hugging him thinking that this might all just be a dream for her.

"I like the sound of that." he stated, once again surprising her with his ability to hear her whisper.

"You heard that?" she asked while looking up at him with an embarrassed look.

"Yep, and like I told you before Liza you can call me whatever you want." he replied with a happy grin.

"I like daddy." she stated while resting her head against his chest. As Natsu then noticed something he hadn't seen before since it was the arm that she usually had behind his back while he was carrying her around. From Liza's right elbow to her hands, which now had red claws, was covered in grey scales that had red markings similar to what Shevroth had on her arms. This also explained why he occasionally felt something digging into his back, but had always just shrugged it off as Liza having sharp nails which in a way was actually true.

"Liza now I don't want you to freak out, but how long has your arm been that way." he said while pointing to her right arm. She followed where he was pointing and her eyes went wide in disbelief and slowly started to poke it, but still didn't seem to believe that it was hers until she started to move it. This triggered her to start screaming and freaking out like he was afraid that she would do when she saw it. And for the next few minutes Natsu did his best to calm down his new and terrified daughter and try to explain to her what was happening to her.

"So this is my type of magic?" she asked while still looking at arm that looked like it belonged to a drake.

"Yep, and I'm pretty sure that you have Take Over Magic which is something that I am pretty familiar with since three of friends have it." he replied with a grin happy that she had calmed down before she accidentally hurt herself with those claws.

"So they can do this too?" she asked while still staring at her arm.

"Not exactly, they each have a different type that lets them do something very similar. But you on the other hand might be the very first person to ever have Draconic Soul." he explained and instantly realized that she didn't understand.

"So you remember that drake that wanted you to touch her nose?" he asked her.

"You mean that dragon?" she asked with a sad smile.

"It was actually a drake, dragons are a whole lot bigger and trust me on that one since Igneel was one of them." he answered with a grin.

"Bigger, and you were raised by one?" she asked with wide eyes and her mouth wide open.

"Yep and I'll tell you all about it later honey, but like I was saying before that drake apparently could tell that you could use her soul. So she gave it to you so you would be able to do incredible things with it, and with some training you'll be able to change more than just your arm. Who knows you might be able to breathe fire like me." he explained watching her eyes light up at the idea of being more like him, until she realized exactly what he said.

"You can breathe fire?" she asked and let out a little yelp as he shot a little flame out of his mouth to show her as the train was coming to a stop.

"Looks like we're here and I take it you don't want to wait here for me to go and have a few words with my friends?" he asked her while having a warm smile on his lips.

"Nope, I want to stay with you." she replied as she grabbed on tighter to him, already forgetting about her one arm that would have been cutting him if he wasn't wearing all of the stuff that he and Bianca made together.

"Fine, but I need to warn you that I am going to be doing a lot of things that might be scary. Just remember that none of that is for you and it's all for the idiots that let Bergamot get destroyed rather than letting me know about the drakes." he said with a little grin.

"Okay daddy." she replied with a big smile as she said that out lout for the first time without being sad.

"Hey you!" shouted Natsu as he pointed at a random employee of the train station with a sinister grin now on his face.

"Me?" asked the now terrified boy who only started to work there a week ago.

"Yep, now I need to go talk with the Council about some business and I don't know how long that's going to take so I want the train heading to Magnolia to wait for my return. Otherwise I'm going to be a very unhappy camper when I return and I'm going find you and see why you didn't do as I asked." he stated with the same grin.

"S-s-sorry S-sir b-but I c-can't do s-something like t-t-that!" the boy got out through chattering teeth.

"I think you can make an exception for me." he replied while starting to walk away from the boy that almost pissed himself.

"Who are you?" asked the boy now curious why the scary guy thought he would be willing to do that for him.

"Salamander and I'm confident that you've seen videos of me before." said Natsu as he left the station with Liza waving goodbye to the boy now visibly shacking. With only one thought now going through his head which was that the train would have to go over him before he let it leave the station.

 **Council Meeting Chamber:**

"This isn't good, we still haven't heard back from Doranbolt or Aulus yet." said one of the Councilmembers.

"Calm down, Aulus is the tenth Wizard Saint and had two full regimens of Rune Knights with him. They probably haven't reported back since Bergamot is in the middle of nowhere." stated a different Councilmember.

"Then what about the reports of Magnolia getting attacked by three drakes?" asked the first Councilmember.

"That is definitely unsettling news since they appeared to have come from the direction of Bergamot." stated another Councilmember.

"Fairy Tail and more specifically that Salamander have disregarded our authority completely ever since that incident two years ago. But they have once again proven their worth to the country by stopping drakes from rampaging across the country." said Chairman Gran Doma.

"Why do we still tolerate that Salamander and the rest of his guild? We should disband them like we planned to two years ago now that we know normal mages can actually harm the drakes." suggested a different Councilmember.

"Because you idiot, Salamander is now a hero to the country after that footage of him taking on four different drakes by himself. Not only did that footage prove that drakes are a major problem but it also showed that Fairy Tail was the only reason that a lot of people are still alive." stated Org with a glare.

"You're forgetting about the other guilds that helped Councilman Org." pointed out a Councilmember.

"No I am not, because once again the only reason that some of the guilds started to make preparations was because of Salamander almost begging them to. And the ones that didn't actually made us look bad like Sabretooth that actually sat back and let Aster be destroyed." replied Org in an angry tone.

"Jiemma is already on probation and being fined heavily for his actions that day. But the biggest reason we are leaving Fairy Tail alone besides them being the favorite guild in the country and everything else that Councilman Org just said. Is due to the fact that Salamander has footage of that incident that would destroy us faster than we could imagine, so that's the last I want to hear about Fairy Tail being a problem." stated Chairman Doma.

"What if we were to get rid of that footage?" asked a different Councilmember.

"Then I would still say we won't do anything against them, they've finally toned down their destructive tendencies since the incident. But they might need a reminder of who is still in charge." stated Gran Doma with a frown.

"And I think I have the perfect way to achieve that Chairman Doma, while also still not openly going against them or having the public looking at us unfavorably." stated a Councilmember. Gran Doma was about to ask what his plans were until an explosion went off that was quickly followed by more.

"What the hell is going on out there?" asked a Councilmember as seconds later the doors to the chamber were blown off their hinges. And to all of their shock, there stood Natsu Dragneel with his right arm covered in flames and smoke while holding a little silver haired girl in his other one. They didn't know what to expect since Natsu looked ready to rip all of their heads off while the little girl on the other hand had a happy little smile on her face as she looked at all of them.

"What is the meaning of this Salamander!" shouted out Gran Doma finally coming back to his senses.

"You idiots thought it was once again a good idea to try and take on drakes without me. Well guess what you all screwed up royal this time and because of that Bergamot is no more." stated Natsu as he glared at them.

"Impossible we sent two regimens and Wizard Saint Aulus." shouted out the Councilmember that was so sure everything was fine earlier.

"Then you're going to have a real hard time explaining the mass graveyard outside of Bergamot. And as for your Wizard Saint, you all unfortunately sent him to his death because there was no way he was ever going to be able to take on two drakes alone." he replied while dropping a blood stained coat with the Wizard Saint emblem on it along with the medallion that they all got to show their position if they didn't want to always wear the coat. Needless to say they were all stunned to complete silence at this revelation.

"How is that possible?" asked a Councilmember in complete disbelief.

"Simple you all still have no idea what you're dealing with, and yes Quatro Cerberus figured out that given enough magic you can hurt a drake. But when they did that the drake was just standing there letting them do that to him as a way of showing how hopeless their situation was. So remember the next time you send out your people without a dragon slayer you're most likely sending them to their death. And thank god Doranbolt was smart enough to get me to Bergamot before those two drakes decided to do that to who knows how many other places." he answered in a deep and gravelly tone.

"You could have just came in here and told us that like a normal person." stated Org as he glared at him.

"Considering that you guys didn't listen the first time you idiots did something like this. I decided to make this one something you're sure to never forget if you get the idea of leaving me in the dark again. Oh and I'm raising the amount per drake by one million jewels and if you think that's too much tell that to Aulus, all of the Rune Knights and people of Bergamot that died because of you guys thinking you know what's best." said Natsu before turning to leave.

"Bye daddy's idiot friends!" said Liza as she waved to them with her right hand.

"Oh my lord, look at her arm." said one of the Councilmembers.

"Salamander, wait we need to examine that girl." shouted one of the Councilmembers who had been tasked with finding out as much as he could about the drakes. Everyone then noticed the air in the room became noticeably warmer in a second as Natsu slowly turned to them.

"You so much as touch a single hair on my daughter's head I will be removing your head from the rest of your body before you're even able to apologize. Do I make myself clear who ever the hell you are?" growled Natsu as he glared at the poor man with so much killing intent that all there knew it wasn't a boisterous threat being thrown around. If any of them were dumb enough to try and do anything to that girl in his arms he would be coming for their lives, which all of them knew he could easily take after everything else he's done.

"I said do I make myself clear?" asked Natsu again since all of them were too afraid to answer the man with a red dragon over his should glaring at all of them.

"Crystal clear Salamander." squeaked out the man wanting nothing more than to hide underneath the table.

"Good, so how about we go and get you some new clothes Liza?" asked Natsu as he smiled down at his daughter, completely losing his intimidating aura that he just had moments ago.

"Yeah, do I get to pick them out daddy?" she asked him back with a happy little smile.

"Of course sweetie, daddy just made twelve million jewels yesterday so he has plenty of jewels to spend on you." he replied as they exited the chambers. Leaving behind one person who wet himself with the rest of them all being very close to doing the same after realizing what an angry dragon looks like, something that all of them could agree on not wanting to see again.

 **The next day at Fairy Tail:**

"Where the hell are they?" asked Ultear as she nervously paced back and forth in front of the bar.

"Calm down Ultear, Doranbolt said he got a message to him after he stormed the Council." said Kinana with a bright smile.

"I know, but why hasn't he brought him back yet? And why the hell did he do something as stupid as attack the Council like that?" she asked while continuing to pace back and forth.

"According to Doranbolt, they were sent out to take on the drakes they detected heading towards Bergamot with two regimens of Rune Knights and a Wizard Saint. And after his call with his superiors he was informed that he was the only other survivor of that whole thing except for a little girl that Natsu saved. So of course he would go there and give them a piece of his mind." explained Macao with a frown.

"Those morons couldn't have just gotten us right away?" asked Jet while shaking his head.

"Considering how beat up we all are right now those guys never had a chance if there was five of them." stated Cobra as Kinana went about changing his bandages again even though they could have lasted for another day in his opinion.

"I can't believe that a Wizard Saint actually died." stated Kei with a frown.

"They're just like any other mage out there, they simple just have more magic than most will ever obtain." said Kagura who was also shocked to hear that one of them died the other day.

"Natsu has constantly been telling us that every time you face a drake it's a fight for your life no matter who you are." said Nab as Laki helped him out of the infirmary. All eyes instantly went to his wooden prosthetic leg made for him by the one helping him down the down the stairs.

"Glad to see up Nab, but are you really sure that's really a good idea?" asked Ultear as she looked at him with a concerned smile.

"You're one to talk, you almost worked yourself to passing trying to restore the whole town yesterday." he replied with a grin.

"Fair enough Nab, you know your own body." she said then went back to her pacing.

"I also have a question who's bright idea was it to have the infirmary upstairs?" he asked still grinning as Laki helped him to a seat.

"That really is a dumb place to have it isn't it." stated Droy with a grin, realizing that Nab obviously didn't want them treating him any differently.

"Actually Natsu said a similar thing the last time he was in there, he also went on to say that he should destroy the place so he never has to wake up in it again. But he did also find it odd that it was on the second level making it hard for the injured to come down and join the guild." stated Macao with a grin.

"And right there is probably the reason why Master Makarov had it up there. To try and keep Natsu from getting more injured if he could sneak out of there unnoticed like we all know he would try to do." said Laki with smile.

"Shouldn't he be here by now, I thought Doranbolt went to go get him?" asked Meredy with a slight frown since she hadn't seen Natsu and was worried about him.

"That he should be, and I am going to hit those two so hard for not returning right away." mumbled Ultear loud enough for everyone to still hear her as she continued to pace back and forth.

"From what I heard he kept a train that was supposed to come at the station all of yesterday so he wouldn't have to wait around for it. And because of that most of the trains are actually off schedule now." said Warren with a big grin.

"That moron, if he did that then why isn't he here and how is Doranbolt taking longer than a train?" she asked angrily.

"I think I need to warn you that Doranbolt won't be bringing him straight here." said Macao nervously as she got right in his face as the temperature started to drop.

"And why is that Master Macao?" she asked as alarms started to go off in the city. At first most of the guild thought it was the alarms for another drake attack until a few of them finally recognized it just as a voice could clearly be heard throughout the town.

"All citizens should get ready for the Dragon Shift that will be starting now!" announced the voice confusing the guild.

"That's why Doranbolt won't be taking him directly here." he said glad that she wasn't about to freeze him like she was just seconds earlier.

"What in the world is the Dragon Shift?" asked Kei and Meredy together.

"I don't know but it's guaranteed to be awesome!" shouted Sting as he jumped off of a table and ran outside.

"Of course he would say something like that." said Jet with a grin as he and a few other members followed Sting outside.

"If you want to know what's going on the easiest way to know is go outside and see for yourself." stated Macao with a knowing grin as the rest of the guild soon took his advice on that.

"This is so cool, I didn't know the city could do this!" cheered Sting as the buildings all moved so there was a direct path leading to Fairy Tail. And on that path right now was just two people walking down it as a few of the citizens of Magnolia actually came out into the snow to wave or cheer for the two people walking towards the guild.

"Okay Master Macao I think you might need to explain this." stated Ultear who was completely lost since she knew nothing about the Gildarts Shift.

"Gladly, as you know Natsu has a lot of magic power now and as far as I can tell he's going to keep getting more. So as a safety precaution we are now doing the Gildarts Shift for him, but it was mainly the idea of the Mayor as a way for the town to thank him and anyone else that goes out and deals with the drakes." he explained with a smug smile.

"You do realize that Natsu is going to hate this." she stated with a little grin of her own.

"I know, doesn't that make it that much better." he replied in a happy tone.

"Yeah it kind of does." she agreed as everyone else looked at them with wide eyes. Because one of the was supposed to be the master and look out for his mages while the other one everyone knew loved the mage that they were both so happy to be pissing off right now.

"I can't wait until the town opens up for me after I go and kick the ass of some drake!" declared Sting as he decided to go and be the first one to meet Natsu.

"He sure does have a lot of energy today." stated Max with a smile as Sting was the only one who decided to go and meet Natsu rather than waiting for him to come to them.

"That would be because Natsu wasn't here to train him." said Meredy with her usual happy smile.

"Why didn't you just do that Cobra?" asked Warren as he looked at the other dragon slayer.

"Do I look like I would be good with kids?" he asked as most of them could see his point.

"I think you'd do great." said Kinana with a big smile that caused Cobra to look away from her while mumbling something that they couldn't hear.

"You think your pretty funny don't you Master Macao?" asked Natsu as soon as he was in hearing distance.

"I do, but this is all just a pleasant surprise since this was mainly the mayors idea." he replied as Natsu and the other two with him got closer to them.

"Doranbolt told me all about it and the few people coming out to greet me just for returning home still feels odd." said Natsu as they all realized he was holding something pink on his left side.

"Just think of it as a tiny little parade held for you every time you return from fighting drakes." suggested Meredy.

"Still seems like over kill to me." he said while adjusting whatever pink thing he was holding.

"I think it's awesome!" cheered Sting as they came up to the rest of them.

"Me too." said a cute little voice coming from the puffy pink object that Natsu was holding.

"Well if you like, I guess I can live with it." he replied while looking at said pink bundle with a big grin.

"Natsu what did you do?" asked Ultear trying to piece together what he did that could explain all of this.

"Everyone I'd like you all to meet Liza Dragneel!" he said while twisting so they could all see her face.

"Hi!" she said with a huge smile while waving at all the shocked faces of Fairy tail.

 **End of Chapter**

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Thanks for reading and I hope you at least enjoyed it a little bit. So that is how I'm going to wrap up year two unless a lot of you want me to wrap up a few more things. But I really doubt that will be the case since everyone wants me to get to the Tenrou Group returning, which I will try to do as fast as I can while still getting some of the new changes I'm doing shown. Oh and quick shout out to DraigTrueEmperor9 for helping out with the OC and also a shout out to everyone else that has talked with me about this story. So yeah there's also going to be a pretty big time skip at beginning of the next chapter letting us get to the next big thing that happens in the story. Well as always I love to hear your opinions on my stories so send me a review or pm and I'll be happy to share some of my own with you.**

 **Until the next Chapter**

 **Digem Out!**


	24. A New Guild Master

Ch 24: A New Guild Master

 **Note: I'm so sorry, but it would seem that I lied to all of you about having a big time skip right away and I decided to do the guild's reaction to Natsu's big news since it caused some other noteworthy things to happen. That I felt like most of you would probably want to see, so here it is.**

 **November X786 right outside of Fairy Tail:**

"Hi!" said Liza with a huge smile while waving at all of the shocked faces of the Fairy tail members.

"What?" shouted almost all of the members there as they looked at the two.

"Geez, how many times do I have to tell you guys that you don't ever need to yell at me to get me to hear you. And it's exactly like I said before, this Liza Dragneel my daughter." replied Natsu with a happy grin as Liza smiled back at him, still excited to hear him say that about her.

"How is that even possible, we've never even you know? I mean she's so old and you would have had to be so young." said Ultear in shock as she was still trying to make sense of this. As a part of her felt like it had just been stabbed when finding out that he somehow had a kid already and it was with a woman she didn't even know about.

"Okay let me start explaining before you all start getting crazy ideas in your heads about all of this." he stated as he looked at them and could instantly see where Ultear's mind was heading.

"What's there to say, you got some girl knocked up when you were younger and now that you're a big shot the lucky lady decided to cash in." said Jet with a little smirk.

"Jet, I'm only going to let that comment slide because we're friends and you have absolutely no idea what's going on here. But if you ever talk about Liza's mom like that again I'll make it so you won't be able to say something like that again for the next month." he said while glaring at the speedster, who along with everyone else just found out Liza's mom was another thing that you don't say around him if you want to remain unharmed.

"Daddy isn't he the man that can go really fast?" asked Liza with a big smile as she pointed at Jet.

"That he is, but I could still catch him if he tried to get away from me." he replied going back to his happy grin.

"Okay everyone, I have a feeling that this is going to take a little while to explain so why don't we head back into the guild where it's warmer." suggested Macao with a little grin. Everyone realized that he was probably correct about that and filed back in leaving just Natsu, Liza, and Ultear out there all alone.

"Natsu, I honestly don't even know what to say." said Ultear with a hurt expression as she looked him in the eyes.

"Ultear please just let me explain all of this before you get the wrong idea in your head." he asked with a pleading look.

"Sorry Natsu but I think Jet was pretty correct on his assumptions. I mean what other possible explanation could there even be for something like this?" she yelled at him as tears started to build up in her eyes. Now wondering if she even knew the man in front of her anymore, questioning everything that he told her late at night. Did he not want to progress their relationship because he still held out hope that this other woman would eventually come back to him. Was she just a replacement for the woman that he truly loved and would she once again be tossed aside by someone that she loved? All of these thoughts and more were running around in her head right now, but all she knew was that she wasn't going to let him do that to her.

"Ultear it's not like that at all and I've got a perfectly reasonable explanation for all of this." he started but was cut off by her.

"I don't want to hear it and I think that we should probably end it since you have a real family to get back to." she said as tears started to roll down her face as she looked at the person she loved. Who to her surprise now looked like he might have just been stabbed in heart after hearing that she was breaking up with him, but before she could even think about this anymore someone else decided to speak up.

"Mommy please don't cry, daddy hates it when others are crying." stated Liza with a sad look on her face as she looked at Ultear.

"Mommy?" she asked as she looked between the two of them.

"Yep, Daddy said that I'd know right away who my new mommy would be. He said that she'd be one of the most beautiful girls I've ever seen and that she'd also be really kind even if she tries to pretend that she isn't. So please stop crying mommy." said Liza with a small smile, hoping that it would help Ultear smile as well.

"New Mommy?" she asked, still trying to figure out what was going on here.

"Yeah, my parents left me when I was really young and I don't know why. And then two drakes destroyed my home, but Mr. Natsu said that he'd never leave me and that he'd take me to his family. And that if I wanted to I could join it and call him daddy and I could have what I never got to have with my first parents." replied Liza with a frown at the beginning that then turned into a bright smile at the end.

"He's not your real dad?" she asked while pointing at Natsu.

"He is now, just like Igneel's his real dad." declared Liza with an even bigger smile as she hugged Natsu tightly.

"Natsu, I'm so sorry." started Ultear but was brought into a hug by him.

"I'm the one that should be sorry; I went ahead and did something that affects both of our lives without even asking you about it. So I completely understand if you still want to…" he said in a sad tone as he continued to hug her until she cut him off.

"Shut up you idiot, I don't want to do that and I only said that before because I didn't want to stand in your way of having a real family. And of course you'd do something like that for her, it's just who you are and I should have been able to see this if I didn't start thinking the worst right away." she said while tightening her hug on the two of them. Happy that Natsu proved to her once again that he was exactly what she thought he was, a man that probably cared too much about everyone else. And would go to the ends of the earth to keep those that he cares about happy, which just so happened to grow by one more.

"Good, because I don't know if I could do all of this without you. Also I do want that Ultear, but I want it with you." he stated with his usual grin as he started to move in for a kiss.

"Yeah mommy's happy again!" cheered Liza from in between the two of them and effectively ruining the moment in Ultear's mind. But apparently not Natsu as he proceeded with his previous actions and brought her into a kiss that she instantly reciprocated. Letting her know how much she truly meant him, which was apparently the world right now and didn't seem like it would be changing anytime soon.

"Eeeww stop kissing like that." said Liza from her front row seat.

"Sorry Honey, I just had to make sure that Mommy was happy." Natsu stated with a big grin as Ultear now had a big blush.

"That's gross daddy just tell her next time." she said with a disgusted look on her face.

"No promises on that one, so why don't we head inside and fill the rest of the guild in on this." suggested Natsu with a little smirk, happy that he didn't screw everything up like he thought he did just moments ago.

"Yeah, do you think you'll get into a fight daddy?" she asked with twinkling eyes, hoping to be there for one just like in the stories that he told her about.

"Who knows, I'm still kind of mad at Jet so maybe." he replied with a little chuckle.

"Natsu wait!" said Ultear before he could open the door.

"What is it Ultear?" he asked back with a concerned look, thinking that he still might have screwed it up somehow.

"Did you mean what you said earlier to me about having a family?" she asked with an unreadable facial expression.

"Absolutely, but if that's not what you want I understand and still want to be with you. And if it's about Liza calling you mommy I just thought, actually I don't know what I thought when I told her that." he replied nervously with a slightly sad look.

"I want that too Natsu and I'm completely fine with being called mommy by Liza since she's our first kid." she said with a big smile as she grabbed his free hand.

"You really mean that?" he asked with probably the happiest look she's ever seen on him.

"Absolutely you big dummy, but you do realize that you're going about this all wrong." she stated with her usual smirk.

"How so?" he asked with a smirk of his own.

"You just made me a mom without us even being married, not to mention the usual ways you go about having kids." she explained with a sly grin.

"You know me, never doing things the normal way." he replied causing her to start giggling at him.

"How do people have kids?" asked Liza with a questioning look as she looked back and forth between the two of them.

"Well you see Liza, how should I put this." started Ultear.

"I got this, when two people really love each other they sometimes are rewarded with a kid." explained Natsu with a warm smile.

"So like you and mommy?" she asked with a bright smile.

"Yep, which means you might have a little brother or sister soon." he replied with a grin as Ultear couldn't help but smile at him and how natural he seemed at this already.

"But you're forgetting about a few things first Natsu." stated Ultear still smiling at him.

"One of those things can be fixed right now, Ultear will you marry me?" he asked as he got down on one knee while still holding her hand and also carrying Liza. While looking up at her with that smile of his that could easily put all of her worries at ease just from seeing it.

"Natsu." she said while trying to hold back her tears.

"I know I've already screwed this up by not having a ring, but I promise that I'll get you the best one jewels can buy." he started to ramble, afraid that he screwed this up as well since he's never been remotely good at these sorts of things. But before he could continue to ramble on he was brought into a kiss with her that set all of his concerns to rest.

"Mommy!" whined Liza as she was once again forced to watch them kiss.

"Yes Natsu and you sometimes just need to keep your mouth shut." she said with a loving look as the two stared into each other's eyes. Only to then hear a squeal of joy come from the other side of the door of the guild that then soon erupted into complete chaos on the inside. Causing both of them to start grinning since it doesn't take a genius to figure out what just happened and who most likely let out that squeal of joy.

"She's been wanting this for a while hasn't she?" he asked still grinning at her.

"You could say that I guess." she replied while looking away from him as he got up, trying to hide the fact that both of them have actually been wanting something like this to happen for a really long time. And considering that they still haven't done it yet she honestly didn't think it would be happening this soon either.

"I just realized I didn't just make you a mother, you've already been one for a while now." he pointed out as his grin got bigger.

"That's not true." she denied, even though she knew it was false.

"Does that mean I have a sister?" asked Liza as she looked to Natsu for an answer.

"Not just yet Liza, but in a bit you might." he answered her as Ultear looked at him with a questioning look.

"Oh come on Ultear, did you really think I would forget about her. I was thinking of seeing if the two of you would want to make it official after we're married." he stated with serious expression that then turned into a smile as she started to hug him again.

"You really are the best person I've ever known and she'd love that just as much as I would." she said while looking up at him with a big smile that he wanted to see her making as much as possible.

"Daddy why in a bit?" asked Liza with a confused look.

"Because I had to make sure that she would want to be considered my daughter just like you, and it turns out that she does. So now you and Meredy are sisters." he replied and loved the happy smile that Liza made after hearing this.

"Yeah, I've never had a sister before!" she cheered happily still in his arms.

"So Natsu, when do you want to have the wedding and I'm only asking because that is going to be the first thing that the guild asks us when we finally go in there." she asked while still hugging her two newest family members.

"That's all up to you Ultear, I would be happy with getting married tomorrow just so long as you're happy." he replied without a hint of hesitation or deception, meaning that he meant every word of it.

"How does three months from now sound?" she asked as she buried her face in the chest of her fiancé, finding it hard to believe that just moments ago she actually thought that there might have been another woman.

"It sounds like we're going to become very busy during up until then. I mean we still have the S-Class trials to do and all of our other guild duties that usually keep us really busy for most days. Not to mention that we now have this little bundle of joy to raise." Natsu replied while adjusting Liza with his left arm.

"I'm not a bundle of joy." she stated while looking at him with serious little look.

"Then what are you exactly?" he asked with his own serious look.

"I'm a girl." she replied, which instantly caused him to start laughing.

"We'll manage somehow Natsu and of course you are Liza, your daddy was just saying that you're also someone that brings him joy." explained Ultear with smile, already thinking that Liza was kind of like Natsu in a few ways.

"Oh, can we go in now daddy?" she asked, most likely not understanding what was just explained to her but didn't seem to care.

"Are you starting to get cold?" he asked her with a little smirk.

"Nope, because you're really warm daddy." she answered while hugging him lovingly again.

"Well let's go in there and explain everything that I just told mommy and also tell them the other good news." he said as he started to open the door.

"Natsu they already know about that." stated Ultear as they entered and were surprised when everyone stopped what they were doing to all look at them. The whole guild waiting for the three of them to finally say or do something that would let them know if it was actually true.

"Daddy why are they staring at us?" asked Liza as her grip on him tightened.

"They're just really glad to meet you, and sometimes they're just weird like this." he replied while setting her down to help take off her coat.

"Hey, we don't want a weirdo like you saying that about us." said Meredy with a big smile as she tried to remain calm. But everyone could see that she wanted nothing more to run over to Ultear and hug her and possibly even Natsu.

"You know that they say it takes one to know one." he replied as he finally got Liza out of her big pink coat. Finally allowing the whole guild to see the girl that was somehow his daughter, which is what most of the guild was waiting to learn about. The others were waiting for the announcement to come from the couple rather than Meredy who just was listening in on them while they were outside and could've possibly miss heard them.

The first thing that you would notice about Liza is her silver hair that she was wearing in pigtails that went down to her shoulders and was held by two black ribbons. Her face had nothing that set her apart from any other seven year old girl, except for her purple eyes that seemed to sparkle as she took in all that was around her. She wore an orange sleeveless dress that went down to her knees and had a black strap of cloth wrapped around her waist causing the dress to poof out more at the bottom.

Covering her legs were a pair of black boots that went halfway up her shins, with the rest of her legs being covered by a pair of grey tights that she wore. The last thing that everyone noticed about Liza's outfit was the pair of black gloves that she continued to wear that went all the way to her elbows.

"Oh come on Natsu please just tell us what the heck is going on here." said Jet, luckily catching himself before he said some foul language in front of Liza because of Natsu letting out a low growl.

"Which thing do you want me to discuss first?" he asked as he hung Liza's coat on the hook by the door.

"Mommy can you hold me?" asked Liza now slightly hiding behind her since Natsu walked off to put her coat away. And she felt really nervous now that everyone was staring at her and he wasn't there to keep holding her like he was before.

"Sure thing Honey." replied Ultear with a bright smile as she scooped her up and now had the girl on her right side.

"Forget all of that stuff earlier, please explain that to us!" declared Wakaba as he pointed to Ultear and Liza with a complete look of disbelief.

"Okay, well as you all already know I just proposed to Ultear minutes ago so it would make sense for Liza to call her mommy." he answered while coming up to the two women and slipping his arm around Ultear's waist and bringing them closer to him. Meredy and a few of the other females members squealed out in joy at hearing this and instantly started to say things about all of them knowing that this was going to happen. While most of the males gave Natsu quick congratulations and didn't say anything else since he was still a little possessive over Ultear and none of them wanted to spend a week in the infirmary over a misunderstanding.

"Alright everybody, I think they both know how happy we are that they're finally tying the knot. By the way when do you two plan to have the wedding?" asked Macao while also quieting the rest of the guild down in the process.

"In three months." answered Ultear before giving Natsu a quick kiss that caused Liza to stick her tongue out in disgust at them, which caused a few members to laugh at her.

"Damn you two might have had a slow start but you both are jumping straight into this head first now aren't you?" he asked with a little smirk.

"Why wait around when both of us want this?" asked Natsu as he ushered his little group to their usual spot at the bar.

"Good point, especially considering what just happened to us recently." he replied with a slight frown, knowing that Natsu was probably still upset with what happened to Bergamot.

"Can I sit on daddy's lap now?" asked Liza as she looked at her parents for a response.

"Sure you can Darling." said Ultear as she passed her over to him.

"Okay Natsu you explained what just happened between you and Ultear today, so would you please care to explain to the rest of us about you now having a daughter?" asked Kagura with Kei and Meredy on her sides all looking at Liza with a slightly skeptical look. None more than Meredy, who just a few moments ago was almost bouncing off the walls in joy about the new engagement.

"Do you want to tell them Liza, or should I?" asked Natsu as he looked at the happy little girl on his lap.

"You can do it this time daddy." she replied, enjoying that word each time she said it along with mommy. Now that she actually had them those two words no longer made her want to cry like they used to.

"Alright, but if I forget something make sure to help me out." he said with a grin.

"Okay!" she cheered. With that said Natsu started to explain exactly what happened to the rest of the guild, purposely leaving some of the big parts so that Liza would speak up. All in the hopes that she would quickly lose the shyness she had towards everyone but Ultear and him. Needless to say the guild was shocked at everything that happened but all of them had warm smiles on their faces by the time that the two of them were done telling them what happened.

"And now he's my daddy just like Igneel was to him. But I also get a mommy and a sister." said Liza with a big smile as she looked at Meredy who now had her mouth wide open.

"We probably should have talked to her about this." stated Ultear as she too looked at the shocked Meredy who was trying to process what Liza just said meant for her.

"Don't worry Ultear, she'll figure it out and probably just call me a weirdo." chuckled Natsu. A few seconds later Meredy finally closed her mouth and looked at the three of them with a now stern look.

"Do you mean it?" she asked while now looking at Natsu directly in the eyes.

"Yes I do Meredy, so what do you say? Want to join us in this crazy little thing we're calling a family?" he asked her back with his usual grin. The room was quiet for a few more seconds while everyone waited for her response, which was just like her response to learning about the engagement. And she let out a happy little squeal, but this time ran the short distance between the two of them and hugged him with all of her might.

"Yes, yes, yes!" she kept saying while hugging him. She was finding all of this to be like a perfect dream, where she now officially has her own family like she always wanted. But it was even better than her dreams about this were because she now also had a little sister that she could play with and start teaching.

"Well now you're a Dragneel, Meredy." he replied while hugging her back.

"Meredy Dragneel." she said as a grin reminiscent of his started to make its way across her face, which only got bigger each time she said it again to herself and liking the way it sounded. Causing a few members to become slightly nervous and start wondering if that grin of Natsu's was somehow related to his last name.

"Only you could go from single one second to having a wife and two daughters in a matter of minutes." said Laki with a big grin as everyone else couldn't help but agree with her on that.

"I know I'm awesome like that." responded Natsu with a happy smile as he looked at his new little family and then looked at his other one that meant just as much to him as the one he just started today.

"I don't really know if she meant that as a compliment Natsu." stated Droy as everyone started to chuckle at how true he was about that as well.

"Even if she didn't doesn't really matter because that's how I'm taking it, so now let's celebrate!" he shouted as the rest of the guild cheered in response. And just like that Fairy Tail was partying like they used to do almost every day, but now only did on special occasions like today that had many different reasons to celebrate.

And over the next few hours everyone had a great time, with eating and drinking to their heart's content since it was all on Natsu like it usually was. There even was an almost guild wide brawl that only really excluded the Dragneel's, which Liza was upset about since she wanted to see her daddy in there. Also during their celebrating most of the guild members got to introduce themselves to Liza, who happily greeted them when she was with Natsu. But if she wasn't with him became a little shy of them and would only respond to them with nods or shakes of her head.

Which takes us to now when the party was finally dying down and those that remained were in small groups, well except for Natsu's that pretty much had his usual group of girls. The slayers and the new Team Shadow Gear, that now had Laki subbing in for Levy since they still didn't know when the Tenrou Group would return, were also part of his group that was now quietly talking amongst themselves since Liza fell asleep in his arms.

"So you think she take now use Take Over Magic and take on some of the characteristics of a drake?" asked Cobra as he looked at the little girl skeptically since something like that was unheard of.

"That's what I'm going with right now, and considering that her right arm still looks like it belongs to a little baby drake I think I'm right about this." replied Natsu as he smiled down at his sleeping daughter.

"So that's why she's wearing those gloves!" cheered Sting only for Rogue to smack him on the head and glared at him.

"Keep it down, she's trying to sleep!" hissed Rogue as he pointed at Liza.

"Sorry, but is that actually why she's wearing those gloves?" asked Sting just above a whisper now causing Natsu to chuckle at him.

"You can just speak normally Sting, and it's one of the reasons besides the fact that she'll need to wear gloves when she goes out in this weather without me." he replied with a grin.

"I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon Natsu." stated Ultear from her resting spot with her head on his shoulder as his one free arm was around her waist.

"And why do you think that?" he asked as he gazed into her eyes, wishing that they were alone right now.

"Because she's obviously a daddy's girl and won't want to do much without you with her, she barely said a word anytime you left her with me and a guild member tried to say hi to her." she replied with a little grin.

"But she seemed completely fine with just you and Meredy." he stated back to her.

"True, but that's probably because she sees us as family like you told her." she explained still grinning at his slightly confused face.

"But I told her that Fairy Tail is also my family." he argued.

"Natsu just give her a little time and I'm sure she'll realize that too. It's a lot to take in right away and really hard to believe that you can have a family as big and crazy as this. And trust me on this one since I went through it as well when I first joined." stated Kagura with a small smile as pretty much all of the girls in his group nodded their heads in agreement.

"Fine, but I hope she opens up fast because who knows when the next time I have to go out there and can't take her with me will be." he replied now looking at Liza with a concerned look.

"If she's anything like you then she'll be running around this place all by herself in less than a week." said Droy with a confident grin that caused Natsu to lose his concerned look.

"She will Natsu, and if not her big sister will be there to help her along." declared Meredy with a happier smile than her normal one, which was already pretty happy.

"And so will me and Rogue!" cheered Sting, only to cover his mouth realizing he said that louder than he probably should have.

"You mean to say Rogue and I, and don't just volunteer me for things without asking first." said Rogue as he shook his head at his partner.

"Do you want to Rogue?" asked Sting with a big grin.

"Of course, but we're not going to rush anything here Sting because you sometimes jump into things without thinking ahead." stated Rogue, which then resulted in the two of them getting into an argument that the others just listened to while chuckling quietly at the two of them.

"I'm positive that everyone will do their best to help her out." stated Kei, happy that Meredy finally got what she had been hoping for pretty much since she knew her. But couldn't help but be a little jealous od since she didn't have that anymore if you excluded Fairy Tail which wasn't the same but still better than some people had.

"Back to Liza and her magic, do you know how to help her?" asked Laki, hoping that he did since if Liza couldn't control it other parts of her might take on drake characteristics and not be as easy to hide as her arm.

"I'm pretty sure that I can get her through the basic, after which she'll have to do a lot of learning on her own but I'll be sure to be with her every step of the way. And I've even thought of a way to see if she actually has Draconic Soul like I think she does." he replied now having his usual grin.

"And how do you plan to do that?" asked Ultear, afraid that he was going to bring her along on his next drake fight.

"Simple, once she gets a hang of her magic we'll go out and hunt down a Wyvern for her to take the soul of once I defeat it." he answered only for her to jab him in the gut.

"You are not going to be taking her to go and fight Wyverns when she's only seven." she hissed at him.

"Fine, I'll wait till she's eight." he replied only to be jabbed a little harder this time.

"You won't be taking her at all." she declared as he started to chuckle at her, causing everyone to look at him strangely.

"Natsu why are you chuckling like a weirdo?" asked Meredy.

"Because she's already showing how great of a mother she's going to be." he replied, causing Ultear to start blushing as the other girls just grinned at her.

"Why don't you just make it a family outing, seems like something the Dragneel family would do for fun." suggested Jet with a huge grin as he saw Natsu and Meredy instantly like that idea, while Ultear still looked unsure about it.

"Ultear we can come along as well, when you guys do this in another year." stated Kagura with a smile as Kei nodded her head as well.

"Oh come on I was hoping to do this once Liza figured out how to control it." whined Natsu, causing all of them to shake their heads at him since this side of him was rarely seen anymore. After that they started to talk about other things that didn't relate to Liza or the newly engaged couple until they all decided to finally call it a night.

 **At the Dragneel residence:**

"This place doesn't even look close to what it used to." stated Natsu as they walked up to their home. That now had extensions on all sides of it except for the front, which he was adamant about keeping the same since he and Happy worked on that part together just before everything happened. But that was honestly the only thing that stayed the same over the past two years except for the tree in the middle of all of it. Rather than being a small cottage like it was before it was now a pretty large house, which it needed to be considering that seven people were living it before and now turned to eight.

Meredy and Kagura actually each got their own rooms after the third extension was done. Cobra of course had his own room made for him right away so he could go there and not be bothered by anyone else for as long as he wanted. While Sting and Rogue on the other hand were stuck sharing a room together, which neither of them actually minded since they were pretty much always together.

During one of the renovations Ultear convinced him that they needed to have the kitchen, dining room, and living room all separate from each other. Unlike his setup from before, where they were all jammed into the main room of his cottage. Along with them having their own individual rooms they were now all made to accommodate a large number of people being in each of them at any given time since they would occasionally get guests out there every now and then.

Ultear of course did the interior design of those three rooms and the master bedroom since Natsu was still okay with only having the bare necessities in all of them. She decided to go with a Japanese style to their rooms since she said that they would all give off better vibes that way, which Natsu didn't understand and was okay with doing whatever as long as she was happy.

The individual rooms where each decorated by the person occupying them, with Kagura and Meredy's pretty much staying the same as when they shared a room. Cobra's on the other hand no one really knew what it looked like since he didn't want anyone going in there, and Natsu said he was fine with that since if Cobra was up to anything fishy he'd know right away. Sting and Rogue's room was that of your stereotypical boy's room, with Sting being a slob and Rogue having absolutely everything in pristine condition on his side while also being very organized.

"Yeah but now it's the place that we all built together." replied Ultear with a happy smile that she pretty much had on her face since he proposed to her.

"That it is, but I think we might have to do another extension and possibly get prepared for even more people to be living with us in a few months." he stated with a sly grin.

"Come on Salamander, there's kids with us and they can definitely understand what you're hinting at." said Cobra with a grin, while Meredy was nodding her head in agreement with him but seemed happy about hearing that. Kagura and Rogue both just pretended that they didn't hear or care about that and just went into the house.

"I don't, who's going to be living with us now besides Liza? Is it Kei since she's already over here enough?" asked Sting, causing Cobra to shake his head at how clueless the kid could be sometimes.

"We'll tell you later when we actually know Sting, and now that you mention it we should see if Kei wants to live here since you do raise a good point on her always being here." replied Natsu with a little chuckle, since he could see why everyone said Sting was just a mini version of himself. Because even to this day he sometimes is completely oblivious to things that absolutely everyone else can see, but thanks to Ultear that is no longer a common thing for him anymore.

"Okay, Lector where did you run off to?" hollered Sting as he took off to find his little partner that was most likely asleep already in their room. Once again completely forgetting that Liza was asleep, causing her to wake up and start rubbing her eyes while letting out a tired yawn.

"Daddy where are we?" she asked while still trying to get the sleep out of her eyes.

"Where home, but I think we will give you the tour tomorrow since you still look tired." he replied with a smile as they were the last ones to finally enter the house with the rest of them already in their rooms.

"Okay daddy." she replied while closing her eyes and resting her head against his chest again.

"She's so cute, but where is she going to sleep?" asked Ultear in a whisper.

"She should be fine on the couch for one night, and then I was going to see if Meredy and Kagura would be okay with sharing a room again." he replied as they made their way to the couch.

"I'm sure they'll be okay with it, we're only really here to sleep anyways." she replied as he slowly deposited Liza onto the couch and put a blanket around her gently.

"I hope so, but now that we're finally alone." he said as he encased her with his arms and gave her a mischievous grin as he started to lean in for a kiss.

"Daddy!" came the scared cry of Liza as she woke up suddenly terrified by something in her dream and no longer feeling the warmth he gave off.

"We'll have to wait for later my big dragon." whispered Ultear as she gave him a quick kiss and then headed for their room while he stood there distracted for just a brief second.

"It's okay Honey, daddy's here." he replied after realizing that tonight wasn't going to be the night.

"I'm scared, can I sleep with you like we did before?" she asked him with a scared look as he brought her into a caring hug.

"Of course you can, but mommy's going to be with us if that's okay." he replied as he picked her up and started to head to his bedroom. Rather than answering him she just nodded her head as she clung onto him clearly terrified by whatever happened to her in her dream that caused her to wake up and call for him. As he opened the door he saw that Ultear had already gotten ready for the two of them to join her by pulling back the sheets on his side.

"Did you have a bad dream?" asked Ultear as they got into bed with her. And once again rather than answering out loud Liza just nodded her head as she continued to hold onto Natsu as Ultear started to rub her back gently.

"It's okay, we're both here for you Liza and we aren't going anywhere anytime soon." said Natsu having a good idea of what she was afraid of, which was proven correct when her grip loosened ever so slightly at his comment. As he looked over at Ultear he couldn't help but realize how lucky he was to have her as his mate, because as far as he knew most women wouldn't put up with or handle at all what he just threw at her today. But here she is taking it all in stride and already acting like what he could only imagine what a mom would be like since he never really had one. But apparently he zoned out for a little while as he gazed at her, causing her to give him a curious look as he continued to look at her.

"What's that look for Natsu?" she asked after not being able to figure out why he was looking at her like that.

"Just realizing how fortunate I am to have a mate like you Ultear, I honestly don't think any woman could even come close to you." he answered with a warm smile, until she kissed him.

"Gross!" said Liza in a happy little tone causing the two of them to separate.

"It's not gross it's just how I show your mommy how much she means to me, which I'm pretty sure we already told you about." replied Natsu as he started to tickle her.

"Mommy help!" she managed to get out between her giggles that only intensified as Ultear joined in.

"Sorry Liza but we can't have you keep saying that it's gross when we kiss." said Ultear with a grin as she continued to tickle the poor girl with Natsu.

"I won't!" she said after a few more minutes of being tickled by them, causing both of them to stop.

"You won't what?" he asked with a small grin.

"I won't say it's gross." she replied while trying to catch her breath from all that laughter.

"Good because now you know what happens if you say that again." he stated as he finally laid down in the bed with the other two following right after. None of them saying anything else as they all slowly drifted off into some of the best sleep that any of them ever had, since they all now had what they've always wanted a family of their own.

 **A little over two months later: February X787:**

A lot can happen in the span of just two months, which is exactly what happened to Fairy Tail and more specifically the Dragneel household. Not only did they add Liza to their little group but Kei joined them a few weeks later after the constant pestering of Meredy and Kagura, saying that it would only make their team stronger. After the first week living there everyone could tell that Kei was happy that she decided to move into the dragon's den as some of the members liked to call it for obvious reasons.

As for Liza she finally opened up to the rest of the guild without being right next to Natsu after the first month. During that same time she also got her magic down to where she can make both of her arms turn into drake ones like she did by accident right away with her right one. Even though she no longer has her arm like that anymore she still likes to wear the black gloves around constantly because in her own words they complete her outfit. She can pretty much always be found right next to Natsu if he's at the guild and if not him then she's with either Ultear or Meredy.

During that time she also stopped sleeping with the two of them and actually started sharing a room with Meredy, because that is what Meredy wanted her to do since they're now sisters. And as Meredy is known to do she instantly became great friends with her little sister and was a big part of her finally opening up without her daddy being there. Overall these last two months have probably been the best time of Liza's life so far and the years to come were hopefully only going to get better for her.

If you asked any member to describe what happened to Meredy over these last two months, every single one of them would say that she somehow became even happier than she already was. And she was already becoming known as probably the happiest member of Fairy Tail that would do almost anything to brighten your day just a little bit. They would also say that she fit the role of big sister for Liza like a glove and became almost as protective of her as Natsu and Ultear, but she would also every once and awhile get her to help her with some sort of prank that Natsu would secretly be very proud of. Actually it wasn't a really good secret since Meredy would always catch that grin of his before he lectured her, which is probably why she would still do them occasionally every now and then.

Nothing really big happened for Sting and Rogue except for they kept training for the next drake attack. Sting of course instantly became friends with Liza and even proclaimed that he would be her big older brother, which started a huge debate in the house on if he was brother material. But none of it really mattered because Liza told him that she would love to have him and Rogue as older brothers. This of course caused Sting to be even more energetic than he usually is for a week and Rogue even seemed to open up to her more after that as well.

Kagura was pretty much like everyone else and instantly fell in love with Liza and was the person that she went to with a question that no one else would answer for her. And most of the time Kagura would be more than happy to tell her everything since she saw it as her duty to make sure she knew everything that she needed to by the time that she grew up. Also during this time, Natsu got her a book that explained everything that there was to know about the past of her sword Archenemy which she was still in the process of reading.

Cobra during this time spent more time with Kinana and she became a frequent visitor to their house. And was the only other person to see the inside of his room, which Natsu and Ultear gave her a really hard time about and would occasionally ask them when they would be tying the knot. Kinana would only smile at this while Cobra would start mumbling curses at Natsu which only made him start laughing at his reluctance to let others know that he cares about them.

As for Natsu and Ultear they both had to get used to being parents which meant that one of them always had to be watching Liza. That wasn't too hard to do since they only went on missions once a month together since they were usually training other members most of the time. They both decided that they would skip that for the next few months before and after their wedding since they weren't short on jewels by any means since Natsu was getting paid per drake that he dealt with.

And during their free time the two of them started to plan their wedding, both of them agreeing that they wanted to keep it small. Only having family and friends attending, which Ultear thought would be easy until Natsu handed her his list of people that he considered his friends since all of Fairy Tail was under the category of family. Needless to say that list pretty much consisted of half of Magnolia and numerous people from all over the country, is caused them to have to go through and start eliminating people that he barely knew and had on the list for some odd reason. After that fiasco she decided that she would work out the rest of the details and he could spend more time with Liza.

During this time Natsu was lucky enough to not have to deal with any new drakes showing up, which he was really thankful for and hoped that it would at least stay that way until after his wedding. If he had barely any free time before he now had literally none and was constantly doing something for someone at all hours of the day. The guild would have started to worry about this if he didn't always have a constant smile on his face while doing all of this and it would only get brighter if he was with any of the people that lived with him and more specifically the three women that were soon to be Dragneels officially.

Somehow he still manage to go and work with Bianca and Cid at least twice a week, and because of that he now had a few modifications to his outfit that most people would not even notice. He got rid of his sandals and replaced them with black boots that went all the way up to his pants. And after constant nagging from Bianca he now wore two black shoulder pads that were trimmed in orange that also replaced his harness for his sword since he didn't want to have any more than he had to. He also agreed with her that if she could come up with more pieces of armor that didn't hinder his movement at all then he would start wearing them, and apparently she was right now working on a breastplate for him that she hoped to have done by the end of the year.

Now overall for Fairy Tail nothing too big happened except for everyone being excited about the upcoming wedding and the two new S-Class mages that got promoted at the end of December. Those two just so happened to be Droy and Max, which meant that Shadow Gear was now a full team of S-Class mages. Unfortunately Kei didn't make it again but she didn't seem too bothered by it since she was now staying at the Dragon's Den. Also during that time Nab got fitted for a robotic leg that Natsu wouldn't let him refuse, saying that he wasn't going to let him die because he couldn't move his fake leg like he used to. So now Nab was walking around on a robotic leg that costed two million jewels since it was the very first of its kind and Natsu was only able to get it because of his current fame.

But by far the biggest thing to happen for Fairy Tail was the vote for who would become the official Fourth Master. And it was a completely unanimous vote except for one sole person. Who was in fact Natsu Dragneel, the person that they had all already started to rely on without even thinking about it. But once they did they all knew right away that if they did have to elect a new Master he would be it, which is exactly what they did. Natsu of course didn't believe it and demanded a recount which got everyone to laugh since he was the only person to vote for anyone else, which was Macao just like the last time they all voted.

After they recounted it two different times for him he finally accepted the position but said he wasn't going to do it until it was all worked out with the Council. Today just so happened to be that day for him, which he instantly knew by the huge grin on Macao's face as his little group entered the guild hall.

"Good morning Master Natsu, or would you prefer Dragneel or maybe even Salamander?" said Macao with a huge grin as he patted a huge stack of paper right next to him on the counter.

"Honestly I'd just prefer plain old Natsu." he replied while he set Liza down so she could take off her coat.

"I think Master Dragneel sounds the best out of those three." stated Ultear with a sly grin as she hugged him from behind and rested her chin on his shoulder.

"I'm going to call you Master Salamander!" declared Sting as he jumped onto a table and did the pose that Natsu's statute did, which had him looking off into the distance with his fist on his hips and one leg resting on a rock.

"Stop doing that pose Sting, which reminds me that I need to get rid of that statute again." he said while shaking his head at the young slayer until a little tug on his pants alerted him that Liza wanted his attention.

"Can I still just call you daddy?" she asked with a little concerned look on her face.

"Of course you can Liza, actually I would really like it if everyone kept calling me by whatever name they used to." he stated as he scooped her up and held her on his left side just like she always liked to be held by him.

"Sure thing you big weirdo." stated Meredy with a big grin.

"Didn't plan on calling you anything other than Salamander." said Cobra as he took his new spot at the bar where he could be closer to Kinana.

"Thanks you two." he replied sarcastically while rolling his eyes and taking his usual spot at the bar.

"Eric, don't be rude to Master Dragneel which I have to agree with Ultear about it being the one that just sounds right to me." said Kinana after lightly hitting Cobra and then handing Natsu two cigars like he usually got in the morning.

"Well I'm going to just call you Master like I initially wanted to, but didn't since you said it would sound weird at the time. But now that you are the Master of the whole guild you can no longer say that." stated Kagura with a big smile as Natsu just shook his head at her for being so happy about that.

"Master Dragneel, it does have a good ring to it. But just imagine the look on everyone's face when they return to find you running the joint." stated Jet as he and most of the core members entered the guild together.

"I'm going to blame all of you for this, also why are all of you here so early?" asked Natsu as he lit one of his cigars and slipped the other one into one of his pockets.

"Macao told us all the great news and we wanted to be the first ones to congratulate you on your first day as Master, Master Dragneel." answered Warren with grin that the rest were also having right now.

"Thanks I guess, actually this works out for me since I wanted to talk to most of you about a few changes I have planned for the guild now that I'm in charge." he stated with a grin that made a few of them wonder for a brief second if they made a terrible mistake.

"Wait what changes are you planning to make?" asked Macao, who was one of the few there that was now really worried about this.

"Calm down Macao, I have a feeling that everyone will like most of these changes. Well everyone except for you that is my new Chief Financial Advisor." he answered with his grin turning a little more evil as he looked at Macao who now had a look of horror on his face.

"Oh that's great, you are now CFA Macao. And I bet you were thinking that you weren't going to have to do anymore paperwork now that you're no longer the Master." said Wakaba as he tried to contain his laughter but was failing horribly at it.

"I don't know what you're laughing at him for Wakaba since you're going to be my other Financial Advisor that is working underneath him. Just like the two of you have been doing for the past two years, which means you both understand everything already." said Natsu as Wakaba instantly stopped laughing and looked at him with hopeful eyes that this was just a joke. But instantly could tell it was definitely not a joke and that this was probably one of the reason's that he didn't accept the responsibilities of the position right away.

"Ha Wakaba, that still means you answer to me! Hey wait a minute you can't just give away all of your paper work like that!" shout Macao as he glared at Natsu.

"Who said that I would be giving all of my paperwork to you two? Because all I said so far is that you're both going to be my financial advisors, which as you both have already guessed will deal with a lot of paperwork. It will mainly deal with jewels, such as the bills that we're bound to receive and payments that we get from the jobs that we complete. And let's not forget about the income that we're receiving from FT and any of the other merchandise that we sell." he explained with a sly grin.

"But that's what most of the paper work consists of." stated Wakaba now with a look of dread.

"Yep, which is why I don't have time to sort through all of that and need you two to get it all organized for me to sign off on. And I'm sure that the two of you will finish that stuff a lot quicker if you're not concerned about everything else that comes with being the Master of a guild." he replied with a normal grin now as the two of them no longer looked like they might die.

"I guess you're right about that Master Dragneel, so what else are you planning on changing?" asked Macao with a big grin since it still felt odd calling him Master.

"Well unless anyone has any objections I am going to make Ultear my Vice Guild Master. Who will give me her advice on most of decisions that I make from here on out, and will be acting Master whenever I'm not here." he stated, and looked at them to see what they thought about that. And he was surprised to see all of them looking at him as if he just said something really stupid, causing him to become a little nervous.

"Master Dragneel, we all kind of assumed that was going to happen since she's soon going to be your wife as well." said Laki, since no one else seemed like they were going to explain to him why they all looked at him like that.

"Oh, well I just wanted to make sure that you were all okay with it." he replied with a little chuckle.

"We are Master Dragneel, is there anything else that you plan to change?" asked Max with a grin since he could tell that Natsu still wasn't comfortable with being called Master yet.

"There are, I was planning on making a new position that I don't really have a name for it yet. But they would pretty much be in charge of helping me out with signing off on jobs for the members and organizing our incoming mail so you two have a little less work." he replied.

"I'm already doing that Master Dragneel and would really be okay with still doing it for you." stated Kinana with a big smile.

"I was actually going to ask you to do this Kinana, but I wanted to make sure that it wouldn't be too much work for you if you still planned on manning the bar. And you don't need to do that anymore since I planned on hiring some new help for that as well." he said with a warm smile, really not wanting to force her into doing something that she didn't want to.

"Don't worry Master Dragneel I enjoy working at the bar and I'll be able to handle all of that since Mira was the one to teach me and she managed to do all of it and even a little more." she replied still smiling at him.

"Okay, but I'm still hiring so more help for you which I guess makes you the Head Barmaid. Darn that sounded better in my head, we'll come up with a better title for you." he stated while snapping his fingers in disappointment.

"I actually like the title of Head Barmaid, what do you think Eric?" she asked while smiling at the poison dragon slayer.

"If you like it then so do I." he stated with a little grin that was gone as soon as he realized everyone else was watching them.

"Moving on, I will probably make a few more advising positions as I figure out all there is to running a guild and what areas need more attention. And before you ask I'm not just doing this to get out of work, but I think that most of these decisions shouldn't be made just by one person without them hearing the opinions of a few others first. Which is why the last big change that I plan to do is having weekly meetings were me and all of the other S-Class mages and my advisors get together and discuss some of the bigger issues so that hopefully we can make the correct decision. Of course I know that not everyone will be able to make it to these meetings because of being out on jobs but I'd really appreciate it if you tried to make it to them if at all possible." he finished now seeing that most of them had shocked looks on their faces.

"How long have you been thinking about this Natsu?" asked Macao as he still stared at him with a shocked expression.

"Ever since you made sure that I'd accept the position, and I think this is the best way for me to be a good Guild Master. Of course I'll still be making the final decisions like any normal Master would, but like I said earlier I want to hear some of the thoughts of my fellow guild members." he stated as he smiled down at Liza, who had been sitting on his lap the entire time. Not making a single noise and she was just happy to be with him right now.

"Wow, that sounds really smart." stated Jet.

"That it does and I honestly can't see any reason for us to not do this." said Warren now looking at Natsu and remembering how different he acted just two years ago.

"There you have it, we're all on board with your new setup for the guild." said Ultear before giving him a quick peck on the cheek.

"Does that mean we can go train now Daddy?" asked Liza with an excited smile gracing her lips as she also started to fidget on his lap.

"That it does so let's get out there." he replied as he picked her up and bolted for the back door.

"Natsu her coat!" shouted Ultear causing him to come to a screeching halt and then head to the front door to get her jacket as Liza laughed at his forgetfulness when he got excited.

"Thanks, I don't know what I'd do without you." he said as he quickly kissed her and then headed outside while Liza made a disgusted look at him for kissing Ultear again while holding her.

"He's not even going to try and act like a normal Master is he?" asked Kei with a fond smile.

"Did you really expect anything less from the man that everyone sees as the Hero of Fiore, and still strongly opposes being called that?" Kagura asked back with a smile of her own.

"I just really hope he takes this new position seriously." said Max as he shook his head at Natsu who seemed to be going about his regular routine as if nothing changed.

"That is definitely something you don't need to worry about." stated Macao with a proud grin as he turned on a screen that was now showing Natsu helping Liza with her training.

"Why are you so sure about that Macao?" asked Ultear with a knowing smile.

"You know even more than I do about how much he actually does for this guild and all of us here. And how he's constantly trying to do what's best for the guild which he made obvious by putting so much thought into how he plans to run this place. I'm also confident that he's already got other things at play that we don't even know about yet." he explained as the rest of them couldn't disagree with him at all, which is why they chose Natsu for the position.

"I think I'm going to go join them on that training." stated Meredy as she got up and headed for the exit, causing everyone else to go about their business as usual. And for most of them that meant a little training and possibly taking a job, also Fairy Tail's definition of a little training is anything but that thanks to Natsu and his little group.

 **Off on the outskirts of town yet still in eyesight of the Fairy Tail Guild Hall:**

"This seems like an ideal time to put our plan into motion Master." said a shady figure sitting on a tree branch.

"This is exactly the wrong to do such a thing you imbecile, you've seen what that boy is capable of." came the angry voice of the figure's Master from an unknown source.

"Yes I have Master, but now that he's their guild master he'll be distracted and easier to surprise." argued the figure that was looking at Fairy Tail with a recording device that allowed him to watch Natsu and Liza training as if he was only a few feet away.

"Then you haven't been paying close enough attention to him over the past few months." said the Master in a disappointed tone.

"Yes I have, and I acknowledge that he's by far one of the most impressive mages I've ever seen. And is someone that I would never want to face in battle, but just like everyone else he has his weaknesses which would be the other members of Fairy Tail." replied the figure as he continued to watch the new guild Master train his daughter.

"I know that as well and so does the boy, which is why he's been training them so hard over the last two years. But it's still not the time to make our move just yet, we need him to not be at the guild so we can get some insurance that once he returns he won't instantly destroy us and ruin my plans." replied the Master in a thoughtful tone.

"I still think you give him too much credit Master." stated the figure in a disgusted tone.

"You don't give him enough and I'm afraid that will cause us problems later on. Salamander my act like an idiot every now and then, but he's anything but that which he made clear just over this last year. And those senses of his are nothing to be taken lightly, it's almost as if he has eyes on the back of his head." lectured the Master.

"Master, he only is just a little better than the normal…" started the figure but stopped halfway through his sentence as Natsu was staring directly into his camera and gave a quick grin before going back to training with Liza.

"He just noticed your presence didn't he?" asked the Master in an angry tone.

"There's no way, I'm almost a mile away Master." denied the figure knowing that if he had been found out he was going to pay for it later.

"Then why did you stop halfway through your sentence?" asked the Master in a harsh tone.

"He just looked into the camera with a grin and then went back to training with that little girl of his." replied the figure.

"You're done with surveilling them from now on, and I'm not doing this for your own safety mind you. I am doing this so that he won't catch you and figure out about our plans before it's too late for him to stop them." commanded the Master.

"Master I…" started the figure.

"That is an order, so return to the guild immediately so someone else can take your place!" shouted the Master.

"Yes Master." replied the figure as he entered the woods behind and disappeared.

 **With Natsu:**

"Daddy why did you just stop?" asked Liza a she looked at him as he grinned at something off in the distance that she couldn't see.

"Sorry about that Honey, daddy just spaced off for a little bit there." he replied as he then went back to training her for the next ten minutes. By that point Liza was completely spent and was done with training for the rest of the day and was expecting to go back into the guild like they usually did but Natsu once again looked off to that distant spot from before.

"Aren't you coming in with me Daddy?" she asked just a few steps away from the door.

"Sorry Liza but I need to go and check something out that just started to bother me a little bit ago." he replied as he started to walk towards a hill in the distance that was covered by trees once she started to head towards the guild hall by herself. But the door to the guild opening caused him to stop and see who came out to see them.

"Master Dragneel you have a visitor that would like to see you." said Kinana with a bright smile as she patted Liza on the head as she walked past her and into the guild.

"Who is it?" he asked with an eyebrow raised since he wasn't expecting anyone.

"Jude Heartfilia seemed to have decided to take you up on that offer of yours to stop by sometime." she replied with a pleasant smile.

"That's probably part of it, but I'm assuming that he mainly came to talk to me about some unfinished business we are trying to work out. If you could tell him that I'll be with him in a few minutes that would be greatly appreciated Kinana, oh and he's free to wait in my office if he wants to." he replied before setting off for that hill in the distance once again.

 **Inside Fairy Tail:**

"He said that he would be with you in a few minutes." said Kinana as she returned to her position at the bar.

"That's fine, I'm in no hurry and mainly came here to congratulate him on a few things." replied Jude with a smile as he looked over at Liza now sitting on Ultear's lap.

"And what exactly would be those things if you don't mind me asking?" asked Macao as he took a seat next to the man.

"For him becoming the guild Master and the upcoming wedding of course. But the last time we talked he failed to mention that he now had a daughter." he replied as Ultear then started to glare at him.

"If he didn't tell you that then how do you know she's his daughter?" asked Ultear while holding her protectively.

"She called you mommy when she came in, and since you're going to be Mrs. Dragneel soon I put two and two together." he answered with a little chuckle as she instantly relaxed at hearing this.

"So you don't have any sort of business to discuss with Master Dragneel?" asked Kinana as she gave him a glass of water.

"That's the other reason that I came here, to let him know the good news about his most recent investments and that I was able to purchase a few properties in the cities that he wanted." he responded after taking a drink.

"He's buying up property in other towns?" asked Ultear with a curious look.

"Why would he be doing that?" asked Meredy, who just like Ultear was just now hearing about this.

"That he is, but I honestly don't know if it's supposed to be a secret about what he plans to do to them." stated Jude with a serious expression on his face.

"If you don't feel comfortable about telling us that information then could you tell us which towns he's buying these properties in?" asked Macao as he stroked his mustache.

"I see no harm in that, and he wanted me to buy up any cheap property in the bigger towns that don't have a guild in them. He did also ask for at least two in Crocus no matter what I had to pay for them, and let's just say that was where a quarter of the jewels he gave to me went to." he answered, now confusing the members of Fairy Tail even more.

"Why would he be interested in towns that specifically don't have guilds?" asked Meredy as she scratched her head.

"Considering that it's Natsu we're talking about here the best way to figure it out is just to ask him when he returns. Where exactly did he go by the way Kinana?" asked Ultear with a little concern since he would usually tell her when he would go out.

"He didn't say, but it looked like he was heading to the outskirts of town." replied Kinana as she started to clean a glass while smiling at her.

"Was it that direction?" asked Liza as she pointed in the direction that Natsu was walking off to.

"Yeah it was Liza." she said stunned that the little girl knew where he was heading.

"How did you know that?" asked Ultear as she looked down at her with a warm smile so she would know that she wasn't in trouble.

"During my training with daddy he stopped and looked in that direction and did that fighting grin of his. But when I asked him about it he said that it was nothing and we went back to training." she replied happily as she then went back to playing with her doll.

"If Salamander did that grin then someone is most likely going to be hurting pretty soon." stated Cobra with a grin of his own.

"He might have noticed someone watching them." guessed Ultear as she looked at the rest to see if they had any other ideas.

"That's what's I thought, but it turns out that I was just imagining it. As for what I'm doing with those properties, Kenta and I decided to open up a few more restaurants since the one here is doing so well for us. And Mr. Heartfilia was kind enough to help me out with that and also making sure that my other investments were smart moves." said Natsu as he lit a cigar while coming in through the back door.

"It's good to see you again Master Dragneel, and you can just call me Jude like I told you last time we talked." said Jude as they shook hands.

"Fine by me Jude, but you really don't need to call me Master Dragneel. Natsu will do just fine since we're friends after all." he replied with a grin.

"Sure thing Natsu, and I take it you heard most of what I told them?" asked Jude with a grin as they both started to head to the stairs.

"That I did, but as you know I have a few questions I want to ask you about what the all Mayor's thought of my plans." he stated with a serious face as they went upstairs with everyone watching them.

"Of course, it's the reason that I have this briefcase completely full of papers for you to look at." said Jude with a little chuckle at Natsu's change of expression at hearing those words come from his mouth.

"Goody more paperwork to fill out and double check." he replied sarcastically.

"The joys of business." stated Jude as they entered the office preventing the rest of the guild from listening in.

"He's actually opening more than just one more restaurant?" asked Jet as he looked at Macao since he used to be the Master.

"As Natsu said it's been really profitable for the guild since he opened it, and it's only grown in popularity because of his fame as well." responded Macao with a grin.

"How profitable are we talking about here?" asked Droy with a few others waiting for his response.

"Let's just say that it covers all of the bills that we get from all of you while you're on your jobs." stated Wakaba as Macao glared at him for letting them know that.

"If that's how good it's doing, then why are you constantly complaining about us losing the guild's jewels?" asked Jet with a slightly upset expression.

"I would also like to know that as well Macao." stated Laki with a wicked grin as she cracked a few knuckles.

"Easy now, I was only being a good Master for the guild and was saving up for a rainy day." he explained as he slowly started to back towards the back exit.

"Sure you were Macao, but now that you're not the Master anymore there's no reason for you to not join in on the next brawl." said Jet with a big grin as he was now blocking the man's only escape route.

"And I think we're going to be having one right now." stated Max as a few of the other members joined in with big grins on their faces.

"Why are they fighting Mommy?" asked Liza as the fight started and stayed completely clear of them for obvious reasons.

"Because it's just one of the things that kind of just happens at Fairy Tail." she replied with a grin as she watched the other members blow off some of their steam while all having happy expression. Even Macao had a small smile while being one of the most targeted members in the fight right now.

 **End of Chapter**

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it like I always say here. So there you have it Natsu is finally the guild Master of Fairy Tail and is already changing things up in pretty big ways. As you can see he's already got people gunning for him which will lead to something big happening in a chapter later on. Now for the next chapter I was planning on including the wedding and then skipping to the next big moment and possibly having a little filler in there as well, which I guess sums this note up. So as always feel free to leave a review or a question and I will respond back as soon as I can.**

 **Until the next Chapter**

 **Digem Out!**


	25. A Grand Wedding

Ch 25: A Wedding and an Execution

 **March 8th X787 at Kardia Cathedral:**

What was supposed to be a private event shared between a few close friends somehow became one of the biggest events of the whole year and that was the famous Dragneel Wedding. Thanks to an unnamed member of Fairy Tail that most believed was Macao or Wakaba, every guild and pretty much the rest of the country learned about the wedding taking place a week before its scheduled date. Now this wouldn't have been too bad since it was bound to get out sooner or later, but what made this information getting out so much worse was that not only did it give very specific details about when and where the wedding was taking place. It also decided to announce to the whole country that all were invited to celebrate the momentous occasion of the famous Salamander tying the knot and if they weren't invited specifically that they would have to come early if they hoped to even have a chance of getting a seat at the ceremony at Kardia Cathedral or the reception that was taking place afterwards at Fairy Tail's guild hall.

Needless to say this pretty much caused Magnolia to have all of its inns and hotels booked all the way up till the day after the wedding in a matter of seconds after the public found this out. Initially the couple was going to turn down the well-wishers that they didn't invite personally but after seeing how happy and excited most of them were at getting to see them Ultear and Natsu didn't have it in them to actually turn any of them away. Now onto the reason why most of the guild thought Macao and Wakaba were responsible for this was quite simple, they were definitely the two getting the most enjoyment out of this little incident happening to the soon to be newlyweds. So of course the couple decided to turn it around on them and put them in charge of handling all the unexpected guests that where now going to want to partake in the festivities.

So three days leading up to the big day all of Magnolia was packed full of people from all across the country wanting to see the happy couple. Most of them wanting to see what woman was capable of handling the Salamander and could actually catch his eye since it was somehow still a secret to most of the public that the woman was Ultear. Also the fact that she was a member of Fairy Tail and has been somewhat having a relationship with the dragon slayer since she the day she joined the guild was apparently not well known either. Most of Fairy Tail chalked that up to no reporter being brave enough to possibly write a story that might upset Natsu in any way if they were to be so unlucky as to accidentally get something wrong, not knowing that he was no longer that brash man anymore who would have definitely destroyed their offices for something that trivial. And that he hasn't actually been that guy since the Tenrou Group went missing because he had bigger concerns than what the press might say about him and his love life.

As for the rehearsal dinner that took place the night before the wedding, that just like everything else it turned into something that none of them could have ever expected it to. It became the biggest party Fairy Tail has ever thrown if you could even consider it that since the whole town took part in it. The mayor even did the dragon shift so that everyone had a definite spot to head to if they wanted to celebrate with someone. And it actually somehow started at noon and then continued well on into the night with everyone having the time of their lives since Natsu announced that all expenses would be on him since he was just happy that all of them were there celebrating this momentous occasion with him.

You might think that all of this would cause either Natsu or Ultear to start freaking out about everything not going according to plan, but that definitely didn't happen. That wasn't really that big of a surprise when concerning Natsu since he meant it when he told Ultear that he would be content with marrying her the very next day after proposing to her. Now they all expected Ultear to be upset by all of this since it was her special day that she had spent the last three months planning for, but she was just like Natsu and took everything in stride and some would say she was somehow even happier than their guild master. It was as if she knew something that no one else knew and no matter what was thrown at her she wouldn't get upset and would just go back to smiling while she was right beside her fiancé.

This takes us to the day of the wedding that just so happened to be taking place right now, well the stat of it at least. Where we just so happen to find a slightly nervous Natsu Dragneel standing at the altar of the Kardia Cathedral no longer wearing his combat gear that everyone has gotten used to him constantly wearing. He is now in an elegant black tux that Bianca had specifically designed and made for him to wear on this special day despite his constant protests of him not wanting to bother her more than he already was doing with everything else that he was asking her to help him make. It wasn't anything special except for it having having the Fairy Tail emblem on his right pectoral in red and that he was once again wearing his scarf like it was intended to be worn which was around his neck and not around his head like he's been doing for quite some time now.

Glancing back behind him he still couldn't believe that the whole cathedral was packed to the point that a crowd had actually formed outside of it as well so that they could get a glimpse of him and Ultear. Not only did that surprise Natsu, but some of the guests attending where well known figures across the country such as a few of the Guild Masters from other guilds across the country. But the ones that really surprised him the most was a few representatives of the Council since they were still not on the best of terms with each other, although the one that shocked him the most was Princess Hisui who was seated at the front because of who she was.

He accidentally locked eyes with her and she responded with giving him an encouraging smile and wave, while Arcadios who was right next to her kept a stern look on his face and only gave Natsu a nod of acknowledgement. As he scanned the rest of the crowd he couldn't help but notice all the happy and excited faces of the crowd, all of them people that he's met and affected in some way shape or form throughout his life. That was when his eyes finally fell on the group of Fairy Tail mages that he considered each and every one of them as a dear member of his family that he would do anything to protect and keep happy.

Unfortunately for Natsu he couldn't help but think of all the members of Fairy Tail that he truly wished could be here on such an important day of his life. But he knew that they would've all been proud of him right now if they could be there while also most likely making some sort of scene like Fairy Tail used to be known for. That simple thought brought back the smile that everyone gathered there today knew him for, which coincided with the starting of the procession causing the cathedral to quiet down so everyone could hear the music playing in the background as the first couple entered.

The couple leading the procession was Kinana and Eric, who at first was completely against being part of this at all. That is until he learned that someone else would then have to be paired with Kinana as she walked down the aisle. Knowing this little fact caused Natsu and the other members of Fairy Tail to have quite large grins plastered across their faces as the two of them entered and preceded to the front of the cathedral. Letting the guests see that all the bridesmaids would be wearing elegant red dresses once again made by Bianca, which could also be said about the black tuxes that all of the groomsmen were wearing.

The next couple was Laki and Warren who were then followed up by Kei and Droy. After them came Kagura and Max, which led to the final couple of the procession who just so happened to be Meredy and Jet who both had on some of the happiest faces any of them have ever seen. As the two came up to the alter they both decided to mouth a few quick words to the still slightly nervous groom.

"Good Luck buddy." mouthed Jet with a little smirk, knowing full well that Natsu wasn't going to ever regret this decision to marry the woman of his dreams. It did though make Jet realize that he should possibly start looking of his special someone since he knew that Natsu was correct about Levy having her eyes set on someone other than him.

"You're still a big weirdo." mouthed Meredy which actually caused Natsu to let out a little chuckle. She couldn't believe that it was finally happening; Ultear was getting married to a man that was honestly the best one that either of them had ever met. Not only that but he was also bringing her into their family as well and in an official manner, meaning that she was now an actual Dragneel, something that she couldn't help but still get huge enjoyment out of each and every time she said or thought it.

Natsu couldn't help but be thankful for the two of them for doing that for him because it finally got him back to normal. Seeing both of them treat him like they usually did got him to stop thinking about how all of this could go terribly wrong in the future and let him think about all the good things that could easily come from this. And one of those possible good things just so happened to be heading down the aisle towards him, wearing a little red dress that she looked completely adorable in as she performed her job for the wedding.

It was none other than his other adopted daughter Liza Dragneel, who was extremely happy to be spreading pink rose petals after her with a bright smile. And to the right side of her was Romeo in a black tux just like the rest of the men but he seemed to find the outfit uncomfortable if his constant fidgeting was any indication.

"Hi daddy!" cheered Liza as they both reached the altar, causing a little chuckle to go throughout the guests at how adorable she was.

"Hi honey, and just so you know you did a great job." replied Natsu with a warm smile as they quickly hugged each other.

"Here you go Natsu." stated Romeo as he handed over the ring while giving his teacher and master a big grin.

"Thanks Romeo." he replied while slipping the ring into his pocket as he watched Romeo lead a reluctant Liza back to their seats with the rest of the members of Fairy Tail.

"Good luck Daddy!" cheered Liza before they were more than five feet away from him while also waving at him. This once again got a good reaction out of the people there as the music got louder, which alerted all of them that the bride was finally coming down the aisle. And the consensus of everyone there was that Ultear was absolutely breath taking in her wedding gown that somehow highlighted all of her best features. Yet somehow was still not overly elaborate or too fancy, making most there agree that it was all due to her overall natural beauty.

Something that Natsu would completely agree with them on, because he knew that no matter what she wore she would still be the most beautiful thing that he's ever gotten to lay his eyes on. And seeing the loving smile she had for him on her face right now made him question why he ever had any doubts about this at all. But he put that aside as something that all men think about at least once before the big day, because right now he knew he was the luckiest man in the world. He was getting to marry a woman that loved him for who he was which included all of his faults and other oddities that would have normally been a deal breaker to most women, even though it meant nothing to Ultear. Something that she proved to him when they finally became official mates sealing it so that their destinies would become intertwined with one another from that special night onward despite whatever might happen in the future between the two of them.

These were the thoughts going through Natsu's mind as Ultear was being escorted down the aisle by Macao who had a proud grin spread across his face. Ultear was also having similar thoughts as her soon to be husband, a main one was that this had to be a dream because it all just seemed too good to be true. After everything that she's done in her life how did she get so lucky to have all of this happen to her, when in her mind she most likely deserved to be locked up in a prison right now rotting away to nothing. But here she was getting absolutely everything that she ever could have dreamed of and it was all because of the man she loved, Natsu Dragneel. A man that somehow instantly accepted her into his family and life without a second thought, since he believed it was the right thing to do at the time despite what anyone else might tell him.

"I know I'm not your dad or anything Ultear but I'm really proud of you. Who knows what would have happened if you had not been there to save Natsu that day or weren't with him every day afterwards." stated Macao as they got closer to the altar. Affectively breaking Ultear out of her own thoughts and causing her blush to only grow at his kind words.

"I didn't do anything." she mumbled back to him.

"You're free to think whatever you want, but me and everyone else at Fairy Tail knows it's thanks to you two that he's still with us. And that he's been able to become the support that we've all relied on during those trying times." he replied with a loving grin before stepping back and heading to his seat. Now leaving Ultear face to face with the man that she was going to happily be spending the rest of her life with, something that she still couldn't believe was going to happen.

"You know this is your last chance to get away from me Ultear." stated Natsu in a teasing matter just loud enough for only her to hear him.

"The same could be said to you." she replied back with a smirk as the priest started the opening remarks.

"If I could have it my way you'd be by my side for every second for the rest of my life." he commented back with his own smirk.

"Well that sounds like something I could get used to, but we both know it's not going to happen." she said as a slight frown started to make its way across his face at hearing this. "Although that doesn't mean we can't try to be with each other whenever we can." she finished with a loving smile that he too had on his face as they looked at each other as everything else seemed to fade to nothing. This resulted in Natsu going forward and bringing her into a deep and passionate kiss that was only stopped thanks to someone to his right clearing his throat in a slightly annoyed tone.

"I think the two of you are getting ahead of yourselves." stated the priest with a slight grin as Ultear and Natsu both realized with bigger blushes that they lost themselves in the moment. And were just a bit ago kissing as if they were all alone and not in front of hundreds of people at their own wedding.

"Sorry about that, kind of got caught in the moment." stated Natsu with a nervous chuckle as he rubbed the back of his head. This got all of the guests to start chuckling at the soon to be newlyweds. Some because having already been married themselves could easily see how someone might forget and get lost in the moment. While the others chuckled because it was something that the old Natsu would have definitely done if someone was ever able to convince him to get married.

"You're both weirdoes." said Meredy with a bright smile spread across her face. As the Priest then started back up with the ceremony that luckily didn't have any more interruptions from the couple or anyone else all the way up to the scheduled kiss. Everyone attending agreed that it was one of the most beautiful ceremonies that they ever been to and could easily see the love that the two held for each other, making all of them not even wonder for a second if it would last since it seemed like a sure thing.

"Natsu I have something I need to tell you." stated Ultear after they separated from their kissing and looking slightly up at the man that was now her husband.

"What is it?" he asked with a smirk, knowing that it was something good due to Ultear's overall happiness right now.

"I'm pregnant!" she whispered back as she watched his face light up in what she could only describe as pure joy. Only to then be lifted off of her feet and twirled around for a few moments until he stopped and brought her into another deep kiss.

"You've officially made this the best day of my life, and I'm not going to let anything bad happen to either of you." he whispered back to her after stopping the kiss that he initiated after finding out about the great news. But just as they were about to leave as the cheering was also finally dying down an unexpected guest showed up and made his presence known by doing a loud clap while standing in the aisle all alone.

"Isn't that beautiful everyone, even a monster like the Salamander can find a happy ending." he chuckled out as everyone in the cathedral glared at him with pure hatred. None more so than Ultear and Natsu who were both not having a good feeling about the newcomer and whatever his agenda was.

"Who are you and what do you want?" asked Natsu in a slight growl as he protectively got in front of his wife.

"Isn't it obvious, I've come to congratulate the two of you for doing what most people dream of doing? And that is finding the person that they get to spend the rest of their lives with." he replied once again with a chuckle. It was at this moment when everyone noticed that the man was indeed dressed in formal wear, even though it looked like it had definitely seen better days thanks to it starting to fade to a lighter shade of gray.

"Thanks I guess, but that still doesn't answer who you are." stated Natsu still keeping Ultear behind him and also noticing a few of his guild members getting ready to act if needed.

"It seems that I've forgotten that part didn't I, well I'm going to be known as the man that killed the famous Salamander." he replied as a crazed grin spread across his face as a collective gasp went through the people attending. Along with that gasp came most of the mages flaring up their magic, signaling that they were ready to fight.

"That's quite the statement you said there my friend, and I'm not saying this because I think I'm not able to be killed or anything stupid like that. I know I'll eventually die sooner or later, but you seemed to have forgotten that a good number of the people here are strong mages." said Natsu as he rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck.

"Far from it Salamander, but if any of them try anything funny then my friends spread throughout the city will start killing innocent civilians. And I know that is something that both of us don't want happening now do we?" he asked back while starting to make his way closer to them. Not caring at all about all the extremely angry mages glaring at him at the moment still with their magic swirling around them.

"No it isn't, so what are you planning on doing then?" asked Natsu after he took a deep breath and had his eyes closed for a few seconds that once he reopened them glared at the man before him. Actually causing the stranger to stagger back slightly from the look that he was receiving and the brief glimpse he got of a red dragon standing behind Natsu.

"You're going to just stand there like a good boy and let my men shoot you. And before you even start thinking about trying anything the first casualty will be her." he answered while then pointing at Meredy. Causing Natsu to let out a deep growl as a red dot appeared on her forehead, showing that the man wasn't bluffing.

"If you even touch a single hair of hers I swear on everything that I hold dear that it will be the last thing you ever do." snarled Natsu as he started to let loose some of his magic that easily made the whole cathedral almost unbearable to be in.

"Easy now Salamander, all you have to do is die and I swear that nothing bad will happen to any of them. Oh and I do know about you being able to turn into smoke so my men have been instructed to take shots that if they happen to miss you they will then hit a loved one of yours." he stated with a smirk now only twenty feet from the dragon slayer.

"Salamander let me end him." snarled Cobra as he was somehow already in front of Kinana protectively.

"I can take him out before he can even blink." said Jet who was no longer wearing anything from the top part of his tux except for the long sleeved shirt.

"No one will do anything; I will not run the chance of any citizens getting hurt because of my actions here. Do I make myself clear Fairy Tail?" asked Natsu now having a stern look in his eyes as he looked at all of them.

"Natsu you can't actually be considering to just let them shoot you?" shouted Meredy in a scared tone as she looked at the man willing to adopt her.

"That is exactly what I plan to let them do if it means no one else gets hurt. Do I have your word that no one else will be harmed if I don't retaliate?" he asked looking at the man threatening the city and people he held dear to his heart.

"Absolutely Salamander, we're only here for you. And if you could hurry up on the decision since I'm getting a little bored and might have them just start shooting people." replied the stranger with a hint of glee in his eyes.

"Natsu please don't do this." begged Ultear, finally speaking for the first time since the man showed up. But she could already tell from the look in his eyes that he was going to go through with this if it meant that she and everyone else would be alright.

"Sorry Ultear, but this is something that I have to do." he stated as he gave her his usual grin, while everyone else watched in horror of what was going to soon take place in front of them. But none of them being able to look away thanks to each of them having a little bit of hope that the Master of Fairy Tail had something up his sleeve.

"Daddy please don't leave me!" cried out Liza while being held back by Sting. Who wanted nothing more than to go and rip the head off of the man threatening his family, but unfortunately he was ordered by his alpha to stay out of this so he really didn't have a choice in it.

"It's okay Honey everything is going to be alright." replied Natsu with his usual grin. That was then unfortunately followed by the loud sound of a gunshot ringing out through the town as everyone watched his left shoulder be thrown back a bit as he staggered back just a bit. Only for all of them to then see a small spot on his tux get darker thanks to what they could only assume was his blood.

"Now it's not right to lie to your daughter like that Salamander." stated the man as a few more shots were fired at Natsu and everyone just watched as he just stood there and took it. Even going so far as to lift his arm up for it to take a shot that was going to miss him and possibly hit someone else.

"Natsu!" screamed out a few of his closest friends and family as they tried to go to him but were being held back by others who wanted nothing more than to go and help their master. One of them although had no one to stop her from going to him since she was already right behind and started to hug him no longer caring what might happen to her because of her current actions.

"HAHAHA, that just goes to show you that even this country's greatest hero can be taken down by a few well aimed bullets." laughed the man still standing in the aisle all alone.

"You can't leave me you idiot." sobbed Ultear into his back as she could feel some of his blood getting onto her arms.

"Don't worry Miss you'll be joining him soon." cackled the man as he threw his head back in victory.

"You said no one else would get hurt." stated Natsu in a quiet voice that shocked the man since he had just watched him get shot at least ten times.

"How the hell are you still even alive? Doesn't matter since you're in no state to stop me now, and did you really believe me when I told you that no one else would get hurt?" he asked with a smirk. That he soon lost when once again large amounts of magic were coming from Natsu as he slowly stood back up to full height.

"I honestly didn't but I was hoping to not get my hands dirty on what was supposed to be a joyous day for everyone." replied Natsu as he and Ultear were now completely covered in his flames. That only burnt off the upper half of his outfit which then allowed them all to see the bullets that were shot at him slowly pop out of him with smoke leaking out of their holes. To then all be instantly sealed back up by his flames that seemed to only grow in intensity with each passing second.

"Y-y-y-you s-shouldn't b-be able t-t-to stand!" shouted out the stranger clearly terrified by what was now standing in front of him. And his fear only grew when Natsu shouted out **"** **FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!"** and unleashed a torrent of flames that flew right above his head and out the window. The attack continued on until it hit one of the nearby builds and reduced its top levels to nothing after being in his flames for a few long seconds.

"Now I have a question for you, did you honestly expect to take out someone who battles god damn drakes for a living with a few measly bullets?" hollered Natsu as smoke started to swirl with his flames as he slowly made his way towards the intruder. With Ultear standing all by herself at the altar with a look of relief and slight confusion on her face as she stared at his Natsu's back.

"Take one more step and your wife dies." he shouted out in a tone that was supposed to sound intimidating but failed terribly.

"And how do plan to accomplish that my friend, because I just took out four of them with that roar of mine? As for the other six they've already been dealt with as well." stated Natsu as he continued on his slow march towards the now visibly trembling man.

"Im-Impossible." he replied while taking a few steps back and doing the signal for his men to fire. He expected to hear the shot fire out but nothing happened and this caused the stranger to start panicking since his men might have already been dealt with meaning that he was now all alone and standing in front of a very pissed of dragon slayer.

"Impossible you say, you really didn't look into who you were dealing with because that's what Fairy Tail is known for doing. Now what am I going to do to you, because reducing you to nothing but ash like I did to your cronies seems like too easy of a punishment for someone threatening to kill my pregnant wife and other innocent civilians." said Natsu as re-equipped his claymore and had it coated in both of his magic types while also dragging it across the floor. Making a scratching and hissing sounds as it easily cut a deep groove into the floor while also severely burning it as he drug it slowly.

"Y-you k-k-killed t-them, b-but you're f-from F-fairy Tail and y-you don't kill!" he stuttered out in disbelief.

"You'd be right about that most of the time my friend, but you did the exact things that let me kill my enemies with absolutely no remorse. And I'm going to let you know what they were before we get started with our little session of just you and me." replied Natsu as he brought his sword up and rested it on his shoulder while glaring at the man now only three feet away from him.

"You're first mistake was treating life as something that could be just thrown away or is insignificant which you made evident by your threat to start killing randomly. Something that most drakes seem to believe by the way and I especially detest about them, as for your second mistake that was threatening the members of Fairy Tail which I consider my family. But by far your biggest mistake was actually threatening the lives of my wife and kids!" shouted Natsu at the end as he kicked the man onto his back and then buried his sword into the ground right next to his head. Needless to say the man now pinned underneath him was too scared to reply and could only scream out in terror at the dragon glaring down at him with nothing but pure loathing and hatred.

"Now tell me who the fuck sent you here to kill me and I'll promise to not make it last more than an hour of pure hell." he growled out just above a whisper with his face now only an inch away from the man underneath him.

"M-m-monster!" screamed out the man before he went back to screaming which then turned into coughing as black smoke started to go down his throat. Everyone watched Natsu once again start to choke someone with his smoke but they could tell that this time the victim was in way more pain than Jiemma ever was.

"That's the second time you've called me that, but considering what you're going through right now it kind of seems like a correct statement. It only makes me wonder why you'd ever want to face a monster and also try to kill it by threatening to kill what it holds dear if it doesn't cooperate. You had to know that if you couldn't finish of a monster with that method it would come after you and make sure that you could never do it again." he said still in a whisper so that only the man and the other dragon slayers could hear him. The man could only continue to claw at his throat and try to scream out in pain since it felt like his insides were literally on fire.

"But once again I feel the need to correct you because I'm something much worse than a monster my friend. I'm a dragon, and if you didn't know we'll do whatever it takes to protect what we hold dear in our hearts even if that means we have to fight against the rest of the world." he explained now in a normal voice that could be heard throughout the cathedral.

"Salamander that's enough!" shouted out one of the Council's representatives. Since even he could no longer sit back and watch a man be mercilessly killed right before his eyes like what was currently happening, but he was shocked to see the fire and smoke swirling around Natsu instantly dissipate at his words.

"Now the Council finally decides to do something when it's no longer a Fairy Tail mage on the line." stated Natsu with a smirk as the man still on the floor underneath one of his feet writhed in agony ,but at least he no longer had anymore smoke being fed into him.

"We couldn't risk civilians getting hurt." he replied quickly as all eyes slowly made their way towards him. None of the guests or Council representatives noticing the reappearance of a few Fairy Tail mages, that disappeared without anyone's knowledge earlier during the middle of the fiasco just moments ago.

"Fair enough, but I still didn't notice you doing anything to prevent them from doing exactly what they did after they thought they were through with me. It kind of seems like the Council was okay with a few citizens dying if it meant that I would no longer be around." said Natsu with a slight sneer sent at all of the Council's representatives.

"How dare you make such accusations Salamander, the Council would never do such a thing to such a loyal and faithful guardian of Fiore." shouted out a different representative.

"Hey, I never accused you guys of anything and I was only just stating a possible reason for your lack of action in a crisis like we just had. But then again when you start considering how you've dealt with the drakes up till this point I shouldn't be surprised if you had to wait until it was in a report until you could actually do something about it." replied Natsu with a grin as he slowly started to remove his smoke from the man barely breathing underneath him.

"Salamander I'd like to remind you that not even you are above the law." said the representative that spoke up first.

"And I'd also like to remind the Council and everyone that works for them the exact same thing. Now if you don't mind I have to dispose of some trash and would also prefer if you all left unless you had a different reason for being here other than to wish me well on my wedding day." he said while slowly picking up the unconscious man off of the floor by his neck.

"There is another reason why we all came here, but first I have to stop you before you kill that man since he no longer possess any threat to you or anyone else here." stated the last of the three representatives that was there which was also the only lady of the group.

"For crying out loud you actually thought I was going to kill him right now?" he asked only to receive blank looks from them as a response.

"There are families with little kids here for Pete's sake; of course I'm not going to kill him. And no one else died here today either since I can only assume you are thinking his four other comrades are dead." he stated while shaking his head in disbelief.

"But what you said to him before." she finally got out only to then notice that ten bodies were now at the foot of the altar tied up. With four of the bodies being so severely burned that you would definitely have a hard time recognizing them as people if you were at a good distance away from them.

"Oh if this wasn't my wedding day then I can guarantee you that they would be dead right now, because as I told him earlier anyone that tries anything against my family will feel my wrath. And I mean if anyone tires to do anything to them that I don't like there is nothing in this world that will stop me from dealing out my own form of punishment." he replied while fire and smoke formed around his right fist and fought for dominance.

"Those are quite the strong words Salamander." spoke up the first representative to speak out of their little group.

"They're more than just words, **FIRE DRAGON'S SMOLDERING FIST!"** shouted Natsu as he hit the man in his grasp, easily sending him clear across the city. "Now what was your other reason for being here?" he asked now turning back to them with a blank expression, as if he didn't just launch a man clear across the town and sure to have broken a few of the man's bones in the process.

"This should really be something that we discuss in private Salamander." replied the other male representative.

"I'd like to remind all of you that I'm now a Master and expect to be treated as such. And if this has to deal with me becoming a Wizard Saint again I'm going to have to respectfully decline like I have every other time you've asked me." he stated now with a stern look displayed across his face. Once again catching all of the representatives off guard by him not even being concerned about what they might be offering as an extra incentive this time to get him to join.

"But you haven't even heard what our offer is Salamander, I mean Master Dragneel." said the lady still with a look of disbelief in her eyes.

"Doesn't really matter what it is since I now realize that Fairy Tail might have been too focused on dealing with these drakes recently. I think for the next few months we're going to make sure that they remember why we're the number one guild, so as you can see I'll be too busy with that to add any more responsibilities to the ones I already have." he replied while re-equipping his usual coat and slipping it on.

"But shouldn't your mages be able to handle that Master Dragneel?" asked one of the males.

"Definitely, but they've now got my full attention since they pulled some shit like this on today of all days and made it very personal to me." he answered while walking back to Ultear, who had a happy smile on her lips since she now knew none of them were in any danger anymore.

"Why didn't you let me in on your plan?" she asked him quietly as they hugged each other.

"Didn't really think I'd have to since you usually see stuff like this a mile away." he replied with a little chuckle as she lightly hit him on his chest.

"Sorry for being a little distracted for once." she stated now having a slight pouting expression on her face.

"It's fine Ultear, you definitely had enough things to be worried about." he said as his left hand slid down to her stomach were it remained as a large grin made its way over his face.

"Master Dragneel are you sure you won't reconsider the Council's offer?" asked the female representative.

"Daddy!" shouted Liza with tears streaming down her face as she jumped at him. Natsu easily catching her and bringing her into a hug that he knew she really needed right now since he could only imagine how hard it was for her to possibly think that she might be losing her family once again.

"It's okay Liza, your daddy isn't going to be leaving you anytime soon you hear me?" he asked her as she continued to cry into his shoulder.

"Do you promise?" she asked in between sobs.

"I promise, because our little family is going to be getting a little bit bigger soon and I have to be around for that." he replied still not believing that he was actually going to be having a child with Ultear. So with his signature grin he finally turned to look at the representatives from the council with Ultear on one side and Meredy now hugging him on the other and Liza held in his arms he was ready to give them his final answer for the day.

"You can inform the Council that at this moment I won't, but who knows what will be happening in a few months. Now to everyone else gathered here to wish us well on this day I think there's only one thing left to do. And that's to celebrate like Fairy Tail usually does!" he shouted as the rest of Fairy Tail cheered in response, having gotten used to celebrating right after possible catastrophes like this. All of the other people there were shocked by this but by the end of the next ten minutes it was like the attempted murder on Natsu had never happened in the first place and everyone was back to having a good time.

The celebrating continued well into the night with Ultear and Natsu of course being the center of attention. Even more so than they normally would have since word of Ultear being pregnant got out thanks to Natsu's angry little rant he went on before dealing with the intruders. All of the guests congratulating them on both the wedding and the new baby on the way, with some of the guests that had kids feeling the need to warn them about certain things to expect and give the newlyweds their two cents on how to deal with them. Both of them were happy to listen to all of this since neither of them really had any experience in this department if you excluded their interactions with Asuka which were always positive since her parents dealt with her whenever it wasn't.

That was just the common thing that the newlyweds had to deal with since there were tons of other guests that had other reasons to talk to them. Most of it pertained to Natsu and the different things he was working on with other people, like the equipment that he was working on with Bianca and Cid. Or the purchasing and setting up of other restaurants across the country he was doing with Kenta and Jude, with Jude and him of course doing a few other things that they both seemed to still want to keep secret from the rest of the guild for whatever reason. But not all of it was that type of business, most of the Guild Masters that attended the wedding wanted to get his advice on their preparations for the next drakes showing up that they all knew would eventually happen.

"I can't believe that some woman is actually willing to marry an ugly son of a bitch like you Salamander." came the loud voice from someone in the middle of the crowded guild hall. This effectively caused all of the celebrations to come to a grinding halt, as everyone gathered there couldn't help but think that another incident like the one at the end of the wedding might be happening soon. But that thought didn't last long as the laughter of Natsu Dragneel could then be heard ringing out throughout the now quite guild hall.

"I've been told that I have a winning personality, which unfortunately can't be said about you, you crazy bastard." replied Natsu with a smirk as the crowd slowly dispersed at a certain area of the main floor to reveal Bacchus looking back at him with a huge grin plastered across his face.

"I'm confident that I can find a few people who would disagree with you on that one Salamander." stated Bacchus as he started to make his way towards Natsu as everyone moved out of the way of him having worried looks. Well except for the members of Fairy Tail who had gotten used to Natsu and Bacchus' odd friendship that seemed to mainly consist of them insulting the other person and the occasional sparring and a whole lot of drinking. Because for some reason Bacchus got it into his head that Natsu wasn't immune to the effects of alcohol and kept trying to beat him in a drinking contest that always ended with him passed out with a drunken smile spread across his smug face.

"Oh I don't doubt that at all since any good mage is bound to make a few enemies here and there. But I guess that's something you wouldn't know about on the whole account of you needing to be good for that to happen." he said with his smirk turning to an amused one as a flash of anger went across Bacchus' face for a brief second.

"Hey Salamander that was a low blow." said Bacchus now right in front of the man he was just insulting.

"Quit pretending to be hurt you idiot." he said while bringing the man into a hug as they both started to chuckle which confused most of the guests. But seeing that the two were apparently friends the festivities went back to normal as everyone decided to return to what they had been previously doing.

"You're one lucky lady Ultear because this guy is one of the wildest men I've ever met." stated Bacchus now with an arm slung around Natsu's shoulder.

"I'm going to assume that's your way of complementing him, so thanks Bacchus. And I definitely know that I'm probably the luckiest woman in the world right now." replied Ultear with a little smirk as she looked at the two of them.

"Glad that you could make it buddy because I honestly didn't know if you would since you weren't at the ceremony earlier today." stated Natsu as he looked at the man with an arm slung around him. Surprised to see that he was actually wearing a shirt, even if it was unbuttoned half of the way down but that was better than him showing up in his usual attire.

"Haha yeah I was a little busy at that time." he replied with a smirk.

"So in other words you were getting drunk off your ass in some small tavern in town?" asked Natsu with a knowing look on his face.

"Yes I was in a tavern but I wasn't getting drunk off my ass since you're the only man wild enough to get me to that point. But from what I've heard I missed quite the show of your power and the little lesson to not mess with what Salamander holds dear to him." he replied with an eyebrow raised as he looked at him questioningly.

"You didn't really miss out on anything too exciting since it was just a bunch of weak dark mages wanting to try and make a name for themselves." said Natsu as he gave a slight shrug of his shoulders as Ultear hit him a few times.

"It definitely wasn't nothing Natsu, you were shot at least ten times right in front of everyone." she said while giving him a loving glare as he started to chuckle at her.

"Come on Ultear did I was barely hurt thanks to me activating dragon force and enhancing my defense significantly. And did you really think I'd ever let them possibly harm you?" he asked her back with a smirk.

"No but I definitely believed that you'd let them harm you if it meant everyone else would be fine." she stated with a frown as she was brought into another one of his loving hugs.

"You're correct about that, but the one thing you have to remember is that I don't ever plan on leaving you or anyone else anytime soon. I couldn't possibly put you or Liza through something like that." he stated while still holding her caringly in his strong arms.

"I know that but today just reminded me that you might not have a choice in that matter." She said quietly as she hugged him tighter.

"I had the same thought too, which is why I'm going to make it were everyone will think twice about doing something like that ever again." he stated with a determined look in his eyes. Angry with himself for letting her feel like she was in trouble and that she might lose him.

"Does that mean you're going to actually start doing a few more jobs that deal with dark mages like everybody is now saying?" asked Bacchus with a devious grin spread across his face.

"Yes it does and judging by that look I'm assuming that you might want in on it." he replied as Bacchus' grin only grew.

"You know me too well Salamander, and once you two are done with your honeymoon I have just the job for us to do as the first team up between Fairy Tail and Quatro Cerberus." declared Bacchus as he pulled a flyer out of his back pocket. Clearly showing the other two that he was obviously hoping to get to go on a job with Natsu and he was most likely going to ask him even if an attempt wasn't made on his life earlier today.

"Let me see what you have in mind." he said while accepting the flyer so he and Ultear could give it good look over before he agreed to anything.

"Also this isn't the first time that Fairy Tail and Quatro Cerbrus have teamed up. That would go to the day that those drakes attacked and we sent three of our mages to warn you about the drake heading your way." Pointed out Ultear with a sly grin after already reading the job description and thinking it would be a perfect way for Fairy Tail to announce to other dark guilds that they aren't to be messed with.

"Nope that time doesn't count since both sides didn't know beforehand." stated Bacchus while shaking his head.

"Does it really matter since we saved your guys' sorry asses that day and I think this job is exactly what I was looking to do after my honeymoon. Nothing says watch out like taking out the group of dark guilds that are trying to make their own version of the Balam Alliance." said Natsu with a wicked grin coming across his face as he thought about how he was going to make them pay for making his family feel like they were in more danger than they already did thanks to the drakes.

"I'm going to let that comment slide since I'm more concerned about right now is this going to be just you and me doing this or are you going to bring along a team?" he asked thinking that it would probably be better if it was more than just the two of them trying to do all of this.

"Part of me wants it to be just the two of us, but considering that I'm a dad now I shouldn't be taking any more risks than I have to so I'll be bringing a team along with me." replied Natsu, glad to see the look of relief wash over Ultear at hearing this.

"Then I should probably do the same, not because of me being a parent or anything but since it's the smart thing to do. Oh and are you two going to actually be having a kid of your own soon?" he asked with a slightly goofy grin spread across his face.

"Yes we are Bacchus and it might not be a bad idea for you to start looking for a woman that can handle all of your wild tendencies." stated Ultear with a happy little smile as Bacchus actually was taken aback by this statement.

"I have a few years before I need to even start worrying about something like that." he replied deciding to look away and grab a few drinks that he easily threw back.

"Never hurts to start looking now Bacchus, because who knows when it might all come to an end." stated Natsu with a serious tone and look in his eyes.

"What in the world are we doing talking about me when it's both of your two's big day? And have you two already started to come up with names for the little one?" asked Bacchus clearly trying to get the conversation onto anything but his love life. So with a little chuckle shared by the newlyweds they decided to change the topic for the guy since they have already had their fun with him and just like that they were back into the usual conversations until two other people decided to converse with the happy couple.

"Was it too much to ask for you to not destroy one of the outfits that I made for you?" asked Bianca as she gave him a light glare.

"Oh come on Bianca you can't seriously blame me for this one, and what are you talking about always ruining your outfits? The one that I usually wear is completely fine and is going to stay that way for a long time." stated Natsu as he glared right back at her, knowing that she actually wasn't mad with him.

"You're forgetting that this is pretty much version ten of that outfit and that it's only going to be fine from here on out because of that repairing feature I realized I needed to have on it since you clearly can't take care of them." she replied back with a smirk as she then proceeded to give him a hug.

"If you were capable of doing that in the first place then why didn't you and thanks for coming by the way." he stated after they separated from their hug.

"You ungrateful little cur, I didn't do that right away because I know that no one is happy with their first outfit that they make and that's because it takes time for them to realize what they actually want. Also that isn't exactly the easiest thing to do and takes a long time to complete." She lectured him while having a slight smile.

"He knows all of this Bianca, and I know that because this is the third time that I've witnessed the two of you having this exact conversation." said Cid with a tired expression on his face that then went to a grin as he looked at the newlyweds.

"It's good to see you Cid." he said as the two shared a quick hug.

"I can't believe that you are now a married man and already have a little family that's only getting bigger." stated Cid with a proud grin.

"A lot of people have said that to me today and did I really look like someone that would never get married?" he asked only to receive blank looks from the two of them and even one from Ultear.

"Honestly Natsu I was starting to think that I was going to have to kick it up another notch for our relationship to precede any farther before you proposed to me that day." said Ultear with a sultry smirk.

"That would have been pretty hard since you were already throwing yourself at me." he stated knowing that she was most likely going to start hitting him. And sure enough that is exactly what happened as he started to chuckle at his wife.

"You know that you had a reputation for being really dense in that area so what was I supposed to do?" she asked him after she stopped playfully hitting him.

"Nothing Honey, you saw what you wanted and didn't let anything stop you from getting it even if that was me being overly cautious. It's one of the things that I love about you." he replied while bringing her in for a quick kiss.

"Well we can both see that you two probably want some alone time to yourselves so we'll be taking off. But before we do I wanted to let you know that I'm almost done with your last order and just need you probably for a few days at least to finish the final touches." stated Cid as he and Bianca started to leave.

"Just so you know I probably will be too busy to help either of you for the next month." he replied.

"Oh only for that long, considering how lovely your wife is I was guessing that it would be at least two months of the two of you going at it constantly." stated Bianca with a huge grin as she slipped into the crowd leaving behind a blushing Ultear and a smirking Natsu.

"You know we could probably stay away from the guild for that long if you wanted to." he whispered into her only making her blush more as he started to chuckle.

Even with most of their time being spent dealing with stuff like this and things of a more business nature the two of them were just happy to be together with each other and spending time with their friends and the rest of their family. Enjoying how their union brought so many people together and getting to watch all of them have fun with one another. Something that the two of them knew would be hard to ever recreate at such a large scale as this, not that either of them would ever want to since this was never their plan in the first place. But both of them couldn't help but appreciate that all of these people were there to wish them well on their future endeavors as a married couple.

 **End of Chapter**

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Thanks for reading and like always I hope you enjoyed it. So just to let you know I actually had this chapter twice as long as it now but decided that it would be too long of a chapter then so I split it into two. And that means I will be releasing the next chapter of this story within the next few days since I already have it done and just need to post it. So I have been wondering what gender I'm going to have for their child and a little part of me really wants it to be a girl for some reason. But I realized that I could ask you all and get some good feedback on what you think I should do, should it be twins or should something else happen with the new family. Well that was really the only question I have right now since I already have the next chapter done like I said so like you all know I really appreciate the reviews and pms that you send my way and will shoot you back a response as soon as I can.**

 **Also a quick heads up on something that I'm going to do which will hopefully allow me to update these stories quicker, something that a few of you have been asking for, if you'd like to find out what I'm planning on doing check out my profile since I don't want to waste any more of your time than I already have with this sentence here at the end.**

 **Until the next Chapter**

 **Digem Out!**


	26. A Surprise Execution

Ch 26: A Surprise Execution

 **Three months later:**

For the first whole week after the wedding Natsu and Ultear were absent from the guild on their honeymoon, surprisingly they were somehow getting Liza to stay with Meredy. Most assumed Natsu had to make some very big promises to his little girl to get her to agree to it that they were all positive that he would eventually fulfill for her. As to where the new couple went on their honeymoon that was a complete mystery to the whole guild that none of them could figure out, the only one who actually did know beside the two of them was Doranbolt and the rest of them could clearly see that he wasn't going to let it slip. Probably because the two threatened to do unspeakable things to him if he even let out the littlest hint of where they might be after he dropped them off.

Upon their return Natsu was true to his word and actually assigned teams to specifically go out on jobs that would deal with dark mages and their guilds and he and a very select few joined him on that job with Bacchus which they completed in a week thanks to them all being highly motivated. And if anyone happened to run into a dark mage on a different job of theirs they were ordered to capture them and bring them back to the guild where they would unfortunately have to deal with the Dragneel family that had many ways of getting information out of those who didn't want to talk. Needless to say none of the dark mages brought back even made it to the point where Natsu would be the one questioning them since Meredy seemed to be very skilled at extracting information from them. One of the guild members happened to walk in on her during one of these sessions and happened to hear her threaten to let the dark mage out and make it look like he hurt her. And after what happened at the wedding and what Natsu has been doing up to this point in time that was the last thing any of them ever wanted.

Once they got information about the locations and other intel about the dark guilds that the Council most likely didn't know about. Natsu and a select few members of the guild that he personally picked out for the specific guild would go and pay them a visit. And each time it resulted with one more dark guild being taken out and more dark mages being sent to prison. Now usually in situations like these Ultear would have been right there with Natsu but after he found out she was pregnant he went into the over protective mode and prohibited her from going out on any mission and even tried to stop her from going to the guild in fear of her getting hurt by accident. Of course Ultear didn't like the not going out on jobs anymore part which she could understand, but there was no way in hell she was going to let him lock her away in their house and keep her from her friends and family at the guild. So after a few arguments about that last point specifically he finally relented and Ultear started to help Kinana at the bar and even help Macao and Wakaba with some of their paperwork occasionally.

During this time the drakes decided to make a few more appearances, across the country and none of these occurrences were as organized or coordinated as the two big invasions before them. It was usually just one drake most likely scouting out the country and deciding to attack once Natsu and whatever other dragon slayer he brought with him showed up and challenged them. He would have much rather just faced them alone where he would be confident that he would be the only one to get hurt in case anything went wrong, but he knew that the rest of the dragon slayers needed actual experience in dealing with them since he wasn't always going to be there for them. This of course resulted with a few of them sometimes getting hurt pretty badly, but before it could become severe Natsu would step in and finish it for them. Each time that this happened he knew that they definitely learned something very valuable and wouldn't make the same mistake again.

It was during these five different encounters with drakes that the other dragon slayers noticed something about Natsu and that was that he would always choose to deliver the finishing blow if he could. At first they thought it was him just trying to not force them to have to deal with ending the life of another magical creature but they all for some reason felt like there was something more to it. And that was confirmed for Sting and Rogue when one day Natsu forced Cobra to get a matching tattoo of the dragon that he had on his left shoulder. When he first brought it up Cobra was completely against it but after having a long conversation with their alpha in his office he instantly got it without so much as a peep. And when anyone asked him what changed his mind he said that it was between him and Salamander and wouldn't say anymore. Now this was definitely odd, but what made it really stick out to Sting and Rogue was that during the last drake encounter Natsu let Cobra finish off the drake when Natsu was the one to actually take it down. When the two asked him about it he only replied that he and Cobra were testing something and it appeared to be working like he expected it to and wouldn't tell them anymore about it for right now.

 **June 15th X787 at Fairy Tail:**

"Welcome back Master Dragneel, how did the Masters meeting go?" asked Kinana from behind the bar with a warm smile.

"The meeting was fine, but having to get pulled away during the middle of it to deal with two fire drakes on the other side of the country was not a very welcomed surprise." he replied with a slight grunt as he lit a cigar.

"I thought it was odd that they did the dragon shift if you were just coming back from your meeting." stated Ultear with a smirk as she set Liza down, now wearing a red dress similar to what Mira used to wear. Now the cause for this change in her wardrobe was due to her now being five months pregnant, which was confirmed for the couple by Porlyusica. Saying that Ultear didn't realize it during the first month of her pregnancy for various reasons, like planning for a wedding that was going to take place in two months at that time or just being at a crazy place like Fairy Tail where she said no one could hear their own thoughts.

"Daddy!" cheered Liza as she sprinted to him and was then brought into a big hug as he twirled her around.

"How is daddy's little girl, did you do all of your training with Sting and Rogue like I asked you to?" he asked with a loving smile spread across his lips.

"Yep, and I almost beat Sting this time." she replied happily while still being held in his arms.

"And how did you almost accomplish that?" he asked with a shocked expression since he knew for a fact that Sting was a lot stronger than she was right now.

"I hit him really hard and he could barely get back up." she cheered with a proud grin still not noticing the slightly confused look on her father's face.

"She hit him you know where Natsu and I've already explained it to her that we don't hit our friends in that place when we're training." explained Ultear while trying to not chuckle at how proud Liza was when she told her all about it. Clearly something her husband was failing at since Natsu was chuckling out loud and not even trying to hide how amused he was by all of it.

"That's my little girl, but your mom's right about only doing that to someone who's actually your enemy." he said after he was no longer laughing at the image of Sting in pain on the ground due to his daughter hitting him unexpectedly in the family jewels.

"Okay daddy, so how was your fight?" she asked while looking up at him with a bright smile that always improved his mood for the day no matter how bad it could be.

"Not too bad since they were both fire drakes, and I only got a few new scars from them. Unfortunately they were just like all the other young ones and wouldn't even talk with me, but they were more experienced than the rest of the young ones before them." he replied with a slight smile as he showed off two new scars that he obtained since they were the easiest ones to show while completely dressed.

"I'm sorry to hear that, but sooner or later they'll eventually realize that it is smarter to try and talk it out with you." stated Ultear as she sat down with him at the bar and let him wrap his one free arm around her. Bringing her into a half hug that she had no intentions of ending anytime soon if she had any say in it since she felt like nothing could possibly hurt her while he had her like this.

"Does it hurt getting a new scar?" asked Liza as she poked at the new one he showed her right above his dragon tattoo. Cutting him off before he could respond to Ultear comment, something that she did quite often but never on purpose since she was still just a kid or that was what he assumed it was due to.

"It does, but not as much as thinking about possibly not returning home to my favorite girls." he replied while hugging the both of them.

"Glad to see that I'm appreciated and wanted." stated Meredy sarcastically as she, Kagura and Kei entered through the back entrance with a sly grin spread across her face.

"I did just say girls and never specified how many Meredy. For all you knew I could have meant six or more women." he stated only for Ultear's elbow to be jabbed hard into the side of his chest.

"It better just be five or you and I need to have a very long conversation." she growled at him only for him to bring her into a kiss causing Liza to make her usual disgusted face at them for doing that in front of her again.

"You know that you're the only one for me Ultear." he whispered into her hear, easily setting straight any of her possible worries which she actually didn't really have in the first place. She just acted like she did because she just loved how he would make sure that she knew how much she meant to him right after any comments like that one.

"Why did mommy say five girls daddy?" asked Liza with a confused expression on her adorable face.

"Because that's how many women are living at our place honey, and your mommy would be jealous if I added another woman into that little group of ours." he explained once again receiving another elbow from his wife.

"I am not jealous, and I can prove it since everyone at Fairy Tail is special to you and that includes all of the other female members." she stated while giving him a slight glare that he only laughed off.

"Thanks Master Dragneel, I knew you cared about all of us I just didn't know it was to that extent." said Kinana with a little smirk as Cobra couldn't help but let out a little growl.

"Well I feel honored to be one of Master's special five." stated Kagura as she took a seat next to Meredy.

"Okay guys, that's enough with all of this since I think we should stop it before someone gets the wrong idea." said Natsu while shaking his head.

"Like what Master Dragneel, that you might have your own little harem going on in the guild?" asked Macao from the second level with an extremely smug look on his face.

"That is exactly what I'd like to avoid." he replied.

"Oh come on Master Dragneel, isn't it every guy's dream to have his own little harem of beautiful women like you do?" asked Wakaba as he took a spot leaning against the railing right next to Macao.

"You do realize that you're talking about my wife and two daughters, with the last two also being pretty much being my daughters in everything but name." he said while glaring up at the two of them.

"I think we do Master Dragneel, but that doesn't change the fact all of them are beautiful. And Liza is sure to become quite the looker when she grows up." stated Macao with a little chuckle.

"I would also like to remind you two that there is absolutely nothing the two of you could do to me since all your magic does is strengthen me. And I would have thought that by now everyone should know not to mess around with a dragon's family." he told them while having a slightly sinister grin.

"Oh we know, but we figured that we could get away with it since we're also a part of your family." explained Wakaba as he let out some smoke that was then sucked straight into Natsu's mouth.

"Daddy what's a harem?" asked Liza with a confused face since she couldn't figure out what it was since Macao first mentioned it.

"You two will pay for this, and it's nothing that you need to be concerned about honey. It's something that you don't need to know until you're older and even then you won't really need to know about it." he answered her while everyone else and more specifically the two on the second level started to laugh to themselves.

"Okay Daddy!" she replied with a bright smile as she went back to playing with his vambrace like she often did while sitting on his lap.

"It'll still be worth it because I know for a fact that she'll definitely ask you again." chuckled Wakaba as he let out another puff of smoke. But unlike last time it wasn't just the smoke that Natsu sucked up, this time he took the embers with him as well so the man could no longer smoke in the guild.

"That's the last time that I'll warn you about smoking in the guild while Ultear's pregnant." stated Natsu in a commanding tone that caused Wakaba to only do a nervous gulp and nod his head while Macao started to laugh at him.

"Isn't that a little hypocritical of you Master Dragneel?" asked Kei with a slight blush that she still had after hearing him saying that he pretty much considered her one of his daughters.

"It might be but honestly I don't care since I know I'm not harming my child at all since none of the smoke ever leaves my mouth. And it would seem that the two little demons of the guild are finally done with the rest of their training." he replied with a small grin as the back door was kicked open.

"Where is she, I don't care if she's the daughter of Master Salamander! Nobody does that to me and gets away with it!" shouted Sting looking absolutely furious.

"Sting I was really hoping that you'd have calmed down about this once we finally finished our training for the day." stated Rogue after letting out a tired sigh.

"I think he's only gotten angrier since then." stated Lector with a smile.

"Frosch thinks so too." cheered Frosch happily.

"Damn right I'm angry, that little runt kicked me right in the…" shouted Sting only to stop halfway through his sentence because he just locked eyes with the girl that got him so angry. But it was because of where she was at the moment that caused him to lose his words and just stare blankly at the little girl waving at him from the lap of her father.

"What was that Sting about you not caring about Liza being my daughter?" asked Natsu with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Oh that, well you see what I was trying to say is Rogue let's go do some extra training like he's always telling us to do." stuttered Sting before grabbing Rogue and booking it out the door he just came storming through earlier. All Rogue could do was let out another tired sigh as he was drug out the back with their Exceeds chasing after the two of them. Everyone in the guild waited a few moments making sure that the two were out of hearing distance before they all burst into laughter at the two that just left the building in quite the hurry.

"Are you ever going to stop doing stuff like that to Sting Master?" asked Kagura with a little chuckle. The main reason that she was asking was because she felt a little sorry for Rogue who kept getting drug along because of Sting when usually he didn't do anything wrong.

"Honestly I'll probably keep doing it as long as he keeps making it so easy for me. Maybe that's how Master Makarov could put up with me as long as he did." he answered with a fond smile making a quick appearance on his face. And the group then went into idle chatter until Team Shadow Gear entered the guild from an S-Class dark guild extermination job that they started a full month ago.

"We're back everybody!" announced Jet with a huge smirk as he and the rest of his team looked like they had been put through the ringers over the past few days.

"Welcome back you three, I take it was a successful mission." stated Kinana, already noticing that none of them were in any sort of critical condition or even hurt too severely.

"That's one way of putting it I guess." replied Laki as she pushed her glasses back up her nose and letting out a long sigh.

"And what does she mean by that?" asked Ultear as she looked at the team.

"That dark guild won't be bothering anyone else any time soon." said Droy with a proud grin.

"I would definitely consider that a complete success then." declared Kei with a bright smile.

"We still haven't heard how much damage they caused while completing that task." pointed out Kagura who already had a good idea why Laki wasn't considering it a success.

"Does that really matter as long as we completed the job?" asked Jet with a nervous chuckle.

"Jet so help me if you three did more damage than what the reward was I'll make you regret it." said Macao while glaring at the speedster already imagining the large amount of paperwork he would most likely have to do because of this.

"Come on Macao have a little faith in us." replied Jet with a sly grin.

"So how much did you three get after everything was all said and done?" asked Natsu now using a tone that the rest of the guild started to refer to as his Master's tone since he seemed to only use it when he was through with messing around and just wanted answers.

"Three thousand." he mumbled while looking at the floor in shame.

"That should have at least covered how much it costed for your living expenses while on the job." stated Natsu trying to make them not feel too bad about the job.

"No Master, that's what we got to split between the three of us." explained Laki as she took a seat at the bar and rested her chin on hands while also letting out another sigh and trying to zone out everyone else quietly snickering at their terrible amount of a reward.

"At least you didn't go negative which is something that I have unfortunately done a few times in my past. Also you should be glad to hear that I'm no longer having us focusing on taking out dark guilds anymore. I'm pretty sure we made it clear what happens to anyone if they try to mess with Fairy Tail." he said with a little chuckle.

"Thank god, this last one was quite the challenge to complete even with the three of us." stated Droy as he sprawled out in a booth by himself.

"No kidding, I can't believe that it was supposed to be ranked at just a single S-Class level. If I'd have to rank it would at least be at double S-class since they at least had five S-Class level mages in their guild." said Jet, causing a few of the people there to let out a gasp in surprise.

"They had five S-Class mages?" asked Kei thinking that she might have misheard Jet.

"That they did which is why we couldn't keep the damage down since we were more concerned about making it out of there alive." replied Laki now with her head on the counter.

"Would it make you all feel better if I told you that it was upgraded to a double S rank right after you three set out to do it?" asked Natsu, to instantly be met with three excited faces looking at him.

"Does that mean the reward went up too?" she asked in an excited tone.

"It would have if our brilliant Master didn't decided to turn it down saying that since we accepted it before we knew that we didn't need the additional jewels." answered Ultear with a smirk as Natsu looked at her in disbelief.

"How the hell did you know that?" he asked, to only then notice Kinana start whistling which is something that she never does.

"Come on Natsu, if you're not going to let me do any jobs at all I'm obviously going to know about everything that happens in the guild." she answered while resting her head on his shoulder.

"Fair point." he chuckled not noticing that three of his mages were now glaring at him.

"So let me get this straight, you decided to turn down free jewels?" asked Laki as she continued to glare at him along with her teammates.

"Yes I did, and after learning how the job went I'm glad that I did since I'm confident that they will need it more than the three of you will. And if any of you disagree with me on that then I'd be more than happy to settle all of this in the arena out back." he replied with a grin, that made Laki and Droy both start questioning if they should have even confronted him about it.

"You're on, with the rest of my team I'm confident that we can bring you down Natsu." stated Jet with a determined look in his eyes.

"Jet are you sure this is a good idea?" asked Droy as he watched Natsu's grin only widen.

"Yeah Jet, we just got back and could really use some rest before going up against him." pointed out Laki who also noticed the same thing as Droy.

"Come on you two, I just got back from dealing with two fire drakes so this is definitely going to be your best chance at taking me on." he said while passing Liza over to Ultear.

"I can't wait to finally beat you." stated Jet with confidence that his other teammates weren't feeling at the moment.

"We'll see about that Jet, so is this fight going to include weapons?" asked Natsu as most of the guild decided to follow the group outside since it was such a nice day outside. And those that didn't turned on a few of the screens inside the guild so they wouldn't miss out on any of the action that they were apparently too lazy to go outside and watch with the rest of them.

"I'm going to go with no weapons since this is just supposed to be a friendly match." he replied while starting to stretch, something that his two teammates started to do a little reluctantly.

"That's probably for the best and I can only assume that we are going with the standard rules? That the match ends when one side can no longer keep fighting." he stated as he headed to one side of the arena while his opponents went to the other side.

"Master Dragneel you do realize that you're probably the only guild Master that actually does stuff like this." pointed out Laki, hoping that he might decide to take back his offer of fighting them.

"I know, and I honestly think that they're all fools for doing this. Because for at least me, this is the easiest way for me to get an accurate read on all of your skills since I'll be experiencing them first hand. And let's not forget that this is by far the most fun way to accomplish it." he replied after putting Dragon's Remorse into his pocket dimension.

"Enough of this idle chit chat." said Jet after finishing his stretches and once again having a confident and also determined look on his face.

"Show them who's boss Daddy!" cheered Liza from Ultear's lap.

"Of course I will honey." he replied only for a shadow to appear behind him. That in the next second started to unload a fury of attacks on the unsuspecting dragon slayer, surprising both him and the rest of the guild watching.

 **"KNUCKLE PLANTS!"** shouted Droy as he tossed some seeds that joined in on Jet's assault of their guild master.

 **"WOOD-MAKE: DIVINE PUNISHMENT!"** shouted Laki as a wide assortment of large wooden weapons where then launched at Natsu which resulted in a small explosion that obstructed their view of him. And before the move even could even start to hit Natsu, Jet reappeared in between his two partners with no signs of being tired in the slightest.

"Alright you two that was a good opening but we all know it didn't do much to him." stated Jet as some chuckling could be hear from inside of the smoke that then came in on itself to reveal Natsu standing there with his usual grin.

"If that's what you'd consider a good start then this is going to be easier than I thought." he said now letting them see that he was completely unharmed by their previous attacks. Jet not being okay with that instantly went back on the offense and was shocked that Natsu was just taking it.

"Why the hell aren't you fighting back or taking damage?" shouted Jet after landing a kick to Natsu's gut that sent him sliding back three feet.

"Why fight back when your attacks are hurting you more than they are hurting me, which answers your second question." he replied while igniting both of his hands and finally getting into a fighting stance. That he then used to easily dodge or completely destroy the same attacks that Droy and Laki had used on him just moments ago, once again causing a smoke screen to form.

"Shit, we're just refueling him." cursed Droy as he watched the smoke flow into the mouth of Natsu as he now smirked at him.

"Kind of a broken combination if I do say so myself since whenever I destroy something I am rewarded with a free meal." he stated right before a fist connected with his left cheek and launched him into the other side of the arena where he crashed into the wall and actually formed a little crater.

"FUCKING HELL that hurt!" screamed out Jet now clutching the arm that he just used to hit Natsu to his chest. With everyone looking at him in surprise for multiple reasons, the main one was that he actually launched Natsu away just a second ago.

"You just broke your wrist Jet and if you could try to not curse in front of Liza I would really appreciate it." stated Natsu as he got up and dusted himself off. And the only damage that he showed was a slight bruise forming on the left side of his face.

"Crap, just got carried away when your face decided to break my wrist and only giving you a little bruise." he replied while looking nervously at Ultear who was glaring at him.

"That's why I've been trying to get you to learn how to focus your magic into other things besides just speed. Because you never know when a situation like this might arise and you won't have your daggers to rely on." said Natsu only for him to hear Droy shout out **"CHAIN PLANT!"** as vines started to constrict around him.

 **"WOOD-MAKE: STARRY NIGHT!"** shouted Laki as a large wooden statue of a fairy formed above Natsu and fell on him while he was momentarily restrained. Team Shadow Gear had a proud smirk for about a second until the top of her statue burst into flames and they watched as the flames quickly destroyed the rest of it from the inside out.

"You've got to be kidding me." stated Laki as she looked at the completely fine Natsu smirking at them.

"Now I want to say right away that from my experience there is no such thing as a certain magic type being better than a different one. It all depends on how much power the mage can put behind it and how they deal with the situation that they are in." he said while condensing all the smoke he just made into a small stream that he then slurped up.

"Then what is our problem right now?" asked Droy who could see where Natsu was going with this.

"The biggest problem is that despite however much power you two put behind your attacks I'll still be able to overcome it and allow my flames to destroy your plants or wood since I just have more magic than all of you. But that still doesn't mean you can't win this, you'll just have to go about it in a different way than you three usually do." he answered for all three of his opponents to look at each other and nod their heads while having a confident smirk spread across their lips.

"That's good advice Master Dragneel so let's see how you handle my newest seeds I got for fire mages? **FLOWER OF THE FROZEN TUNDRA!** " shouted Droy as he tossed out about fifty white seeds that easily covered a ten foot radius around Natsu. Who rather than dodging it decided to wait and see what Droy's new plants were capable of, which would prove to not be his smartest decision.

The guild watched as little blue plants started to sprout up from the locations that the seeds landed, only for them to quickly bloom into white flowers that looked like a white mist was coming off of them. And in the next second frost was on the ground around them that then turned into a thin layer of ice now covering everything in their general area which just so happened to include Natsu. The whole guild was surprised at this and was even more surprised when the ice around him continued to get thicker and thicker.

"Do it now Laki, the flowers won't last much longer!" shouted Droy now looking as if he was breathing heavily.

 **"WOOD-MAKE: HARDEN MEADOW!"** she shouted and the guild were once again surprised at what Team Shadow Gear was showing them. Because just as the cracking of ice could be heard coming from Natsu, a small clump of trees shot up from the ground surrounding him completely. The wood of the trees were almost a pure black and landed on the side of a really dark gray, but the last part of Laki's attack was branches shooting out from the trunk in every direction meaning that there was no way for Natsu to have dodged all of them on the inside of the trees.

"I kind of feel pointless right now." stated Jet with a sheepish grin as he looked at both of his partners panting at using so much of their magic in those last two spells of theirs.

"Now that's what I was hoping to see from you guys." came the amused voice of Natsu from inside the circle of trees that Laki was still maintaining because she didn't want to possibly stop it too soon.

"Please tell me that you at least took some damage from that combo?" asked Droy while glaring at Laki's trees that now had smoke seeping through the cracks. The smoke then slowly formed into Natsu standing there with a proud grin on his lips with a cigar now in his mouth that he lit with his fingers.

"Unfortunately for you guys it didn't but that's because I'm not your standard fire mage." he replied while switching his cigar to the other side of his mouth.

"Well that's obvious considering that you can use smoke just like your flames." said Jet, really regretting that he punched Natsu hard enough to break his own wrist.

"That's actually how I was able to dodge Laki's attack, which just so you know if I couldn't turn into smoke would have costed me way more magic than I ever would have wanted to use in a real fight to get out of it. As for your attack Droy I honestly think that any other fire mage but me would have been at your mercy if they were dumb enough to stand in it like I did." he explained only to then turn away from them and start heading towards Ultear and Liza.

"Are you just walking away?" asked Jet who was ready to face Natsu with just one arm if he had too.

"I am since going any further would be pointless since your two teammates can barely stand after using most of their magic to come really close to almost taking me out." he replied as Liza started to cheer at his victory along with a few other members who were more impressed with how good Team Shadow Gear did against their Master.

"Sorry about that you two." stated Jet with a frown since he felt like he let them down.

"What are you talking about man, if it wasn't for you then we never would have even tried to go up against Natsu like that." stated Droy with a tired smile.

"He's right Jet, and next time we do this you'll have your own new thing to try out on him." said Laki as she patted him on the back as they started to leave the arena. Since this is Fairy Tail and some other members decided that they wanted to duel some of their friends to see who was the strongest between them and just like that a little battle tournament started for the day.

 **A few hours later:**

"Is Master Dragneel still here?" asked Warren as he burst through the front doors a little out of breath.

"Yes he is, but right now he's doing his paperwork and you know how he doesn't like to be disturbed while he's doing it." answered Ultear from behind the bar since Kinana was on a little break at the moment.

"I know that but I'm confident that he'll want to know about this as soon as possible." he replied while coming up to the bar.

"If it's not a matter of life or death then I think it can wait." she stated with a smirk.

"Actually that is exactly what it is." he said causing all of the chatter in the guild to instantly stop and everyone look at him.

"Then I'll go and get him." said Ultear now with a concerned look on her face.

"No need to Dear, now what is it that you needed to tell me Warren?" asked Natsu from the second floor and leaning against the railing right outside of his office that still had the door open.

"The Council is holding a public execution in three days." replied Warren with a disgusted look now being displayed on his face.

"That's definitely unexpected and something I'm completely against, but why did you think I'd be interested in this since there really isn't anything I can do about it?" he asked back with a thoughtful expression.

"I figured that you and Ultear would be interested because of who the person getting executed is, it's Jellal." answered Warren now with a frown since he along with the rest of the guild knew how bad Ultear felt about having a hand in his decent into darkness. And just like he thought Ultear now had a look of defeat and hopelessness on her face while Natsu's reaction was a little different since the railing in his grasp shattered into splinters.

"Those bastards are doing this to get back at me." he growled as both of his elements started to swirl around him, showing how angry he actually was at hearing this.

"Why do you think they're doing this because of you Master?" asked Kagura, who no longer wanted to see Jellal die thanks to Natsu. But she would be lying if she said that she cared if he was finally put down because of the atrocities that he committed back then despite being under the influence of Ultear, because in her eyes it still seemed like a fitting punishment.

"I think that they might be doing that because I haven't even been trying to hide my lack of respect for them for quite a while now, which I clearly made evident to most of the country during mine and Ultear's wedding." he replied with a prominent scowl on his face.

"Yeah but to go so far as executing someone else because of it seems a little extreme Master Dragneel." pointed out Max.

"If that was all I did than I would have to agree with you, but throw in all of the threats I've made to them and I can see them wanting to show me that they are still in charge of the rest of the wizarding world. And that even though Fairy Tail is off limits there are other ways for them to try and keep me in line." he continued as he slowly reeled in his magic.

"But why would they pick Jellal?" asked Warren since it seemed like an odd choice for the Council to make.

"Probably because they knew that I was against him being arrested in the first place back then." he stated while coming down the stairs slowly and heading towards his wife.

"And it also wouldn't surprise me if they actually put together my involvement in the whole Tower of Heaven ordeal." stated Ultear as Natsu brought her into a loving hug as he used one hand to gently rub her back.

"Why would that matter?" asked Kei, knowing that Ultear probably didn't want to talk about it but was too curious to not ask.

"Because if they did in fact figure that you then they would know that it's one of my biggest regrets that I want to fix." she replied just loud enough for Kei to hear her.

"I'm so sorry Ultear, this is all my fault." stated Natsu, causing the guild took now look at him with a skeptical look.

"How in the world is this at all your fault in any way Master Dragneel?" asked Macao, which was once again the same question that everyone else had going through their minds right now.

"For the last month and a half I've been trying to get the Council to release Jellal into my custody like they did with Cobra. And until hearing this I thought I was actually making some headway with them and they might actually see that he'd be of more use to the world with us rather than having him rotting in a cell." he replied with that scowl from before making another appearance.

"Why didn't you tell me about any of this?" asked Ultear as she looked up at him.

"I wanted it to be a surprise since I knew how much that this whole thing with Jellal was actually bothering you. But it seems like all I've done is make it worse." he answered with a frown before she brought him into a tender kiss.

"Natsu you were only trying to help and those old fools are doing this most likely all of this because of the reasons you already said. And none of us could have predicted that they would have been so petty to do something like this." she stated with a warm smile that he really appreciated since she only seemed to use it on him or their daughters.

"Thanks Ultear, but there is still time for me to fix this." he stated with a determined look now coming over his visage that all of them have seen before and couldn't help but brighten up at seeing it.

"Please don't do anything to make the Council even more angry at us." she stated with a smirk knowing that he wouldn't care about that if it meant that he could save Jellal.

"Does that sound like what a responsible guild Master would do? Well can you all hold down the fort while I go and pay another visit to some old friends of mine?" he asked while heading towards the door not even waiting for a response from them.

"Go get them daddy!" cheered Liza causing Natsu to let out a little chuckle before giving a quick wave over his shoulder and heading out the front door.

 **June 17th X787 at Council's Meeting Chamber:**

"And what pray tell was so urgent that we had to have his unscheduled meeting just for you Master Dragneel?" asked Chairman Gran Doma as he and his fellow Council members looked down at Natsu.

"Let's cut to the chase why don't we since we both know you know why I'm here. So job well done you've got my attention now so what do you want me to do to stop you idiots from doing something as stupid as executing Jellal Fernandes for no reason?" stated Natsu with a clearly upset scowl on his face.

"No reason you say, how about the countless lives that were lost because of him not to mention him single handedly destroying the previous Council." shouted Org as he glared at him.

"And if this decision just so happens to coincide with you trying to get his release just think of it as coincidence. But I do have to admit that I enjoy seeing you realize that we are still in charge around here." stated Michello with a smug grin that only lasted for a second thanks to Natsu's magic flaring up for just a second before disappearing completely. But within that brief second the room was instantly brought to an uncomfortable temperature making all of the Council to start sweating.

"Sorry about that but I can't help it when my magic reacts to someone saying something so wrong. Or did you forget all of the times I have single handedly saved all your sorry asses from a country wide catastrophe? And there's still that whole me having proof of what you guys tried to do while Makarov was still the Master of Fairy Tail." said Natsu now with a stern look on his face as he looked at all of them. He took great enjoyment that the only one to be able to look him in the eyes after hearing that was the Chairman and Org.

"Why you ungrateful little…" said Org.

"Enough Councilman Org and no we haven't Master Dragneel. And you might find this hard to believe but I at least am truly sorry about that for multiple reasons and wish I could go back and change what we did. Not only because it would most likely make our current relationship not as confrontational as it is but it would also be the right thing to do." said the Chairman getting a few gasps of surprise from his fellow Council members.

"If there was a way for me to go back I'd do a lot of things differently, but unfortunately we don't have the luxury of getting redoes. So what do I need to do to get you guys to stop this foolish action you're about to take because if I need to I'll finally accept the title of Wizard Saint that you've been trying to get me to accept for quite some time now?" he asked with a completely serious face.

"If only it was that easy Master Dragneel." replied Gran Doma with a frown.

"I really don't see how it isn't, but if that's not what you want from me then I'm all ears so just let me know what it is and you can consider it done." he stated not changing his expression at all.

"We don't want anything from you, this decision was made a while ago and its sole purpose was to show the rest of the country that what he did will not be tolerated at all from this point forward. And it will also show the public that we are no longer going to be trying to hide such blemishes like Jellal is because of his relation with the past Council." said Gran Doma with a stern look directed at Natsu as they looked at each other for a few moments in silence.

"Are you absolutely sure that there is nothing I can do to change your minds on this?" asked Natsu as he lowered his head and looked at the floor.

"Sorry Master Dragneel but there isn't." replied Chairman Gran Doma.

"Can I at least speak with him after I leave here?" he asked still with his head down.

"I see no harm in allowing you to do that since you are not foolhardy enough to try and break him out. Oh and the offer for you becoming a Wizard Saint still stands if you want to accept it." stated the Chairman as he watched the dragon slayer intensely.

"Thanks, and I'll once again have to turn down the position since I don't see a reason for me to accept it anymore." he replied as he turned around and started to walk towards the exit.

"How about for the honor and prestige that comes with the title, not to mention the good you'll be able to do if you become one." said Org as he glared at the back of Natsu's head.

"I don't really need the honor or prestige since I've never really cared about that stuff before. As for doing good I think I'm fine on that front since I'm constantly fighting drakes for the country already and that alone has probably made me save more lives than any of you have or will." he replied before exiting the room leaving a few slightly angry Councilmembers.

"Honestly Chairman I don't understand why you're so instant on trying to get him joining the ranks of the Wizard Saints." stated Org after letting out a sigh once they knew their guest was gone and couldn't hear them even with his enhanced hearing thanks to the runes place on the room.

"I am of the same mind as Councilman Org about that boy." said Michello while still scowling at the exit that Natsu had just gone through.

"If you two can't see how important Natsu Dragneel will be to the wizarding world from this point on I am beginning to wonder what you've been doing for the past two years. Because like he said to us just moments ago he's already saved the country of Fiore from being completely overrun by drakes. Drakes that not even one of our Wizard Saints could handle on his own. While that boy as you called him is just shy of having thirty drakes under his belt alone, and the only other wizards that have done anything to a drake are ones that he's been training since before he was even the Master of Fairy Tail." stated Gran Doma with a slight frown.

"That is true but we sent one of the lower Wizard Saints to deal with those drakes, I'm confident that those in the top half will be able to easily handle them." he argued back.

"Are you really willing to risk possibly loosing another Saint when Master Dragneel has proven to be a very reliable at handling them?" asked back Gran Doma and could see that councilman Michello had no response to that.

"If you think he's so important then why didn't you do as he asked and even he said he would accept the title of Wizard Saint?" asked Councilwoman Belno.

"You know full well why I couldn't hand Jellal over to him. And I have a feeling that he'll eventually accept our offer if nothing else than to get us to stop asking him." he stated with a grin before his projection flickered for a bit then was completely gone.

"I take it that this means the meeting is done." stated Org as all of the other council members started to get up to leave which is what he did as well.

 **With Jellal in his cell:**

"This is an unexpected surprise." stated Jellal as he didn't even look up at Natsu as he came up to his cell.

"I hope it's a good one." replied Natsu with a slight smirk.

"I definitely consider it to be that since you'll probably be the last friendly face I see before they carry out my sentence." he responded with a sad chuckle.

"I'm sorry Jellal, I honestly tried everything that I could think of except for actually breaking you out of this damn place. But those old geezers are not budging on their decision which seem a little odd to me." stated Natsu with a slight growl.

"I know you did and it's honestly more than a man like be deserves." he said causing Natsu to look at him with a shocked expression now on his face.

"And how did you know about all of that because I really doubt that the guards here even know about me trying to get you released?" asked the dragon slayer as he now made sure he was on high alert for anything suspicious.

"Calm down Natsu, your friend Doranbolt was intrigued in me since you were actually trying to get me out of here through the proper channels. Something the old Natsu Dragneel I knew wouldn't have tried, he would have most likely charged in here and destroyed anyone that got in his way." he answered with a little chuckle.

"I see, and I don't have that luxury anymore if you haven't heard." said Natsu with a somber look on his face as he remembered all of the hardships that he and the rest of Fairy Tail had to endure since the Tenrou Group went missing.

"I have, but is it true that they're still alive?" asked Jellal while finally looking up at him for the first time with a hopeful look on his face.

"I've never been more sure of anything else in my entire life which means more than you might think." he answered with a little grin as he took out a cigar and lit it with a lighter.

"That's all I needed to hear to know that they're fine, and yes it is considering that you're now a married man. And from what I remember you seem like the last person I'd ever expect to do something like that while you're still so young." said Jellal now smiling at his first official visitor.

"I can see how you might think that, but after coming so close to death like I seem to keep doing you realize that there is no real reason to wait on something like that. And she's actually really sorry about everything that she did back then and wishes that she could so something to make it up to you somehow." he told him with a sad smile.

"I can see you've been through a lot just by all of those new scars that I can see on the little amount of skin that you are now showing. But I'm guessing that was a gradual procedure for you and you didn't just randomly decided to start wearing more clothes. Also tell Ultear that she has nothing to feel sorry for since it was because of my weakness that she could even do any of that to me. And what you have already done was more than enough in my book." stated Jellal still smiling at Natsu.

"I'll tell her that but I have a feeling she won't accept it and keep beating herself up about it, especially once you're gone." he responded with a slight frown.

"I'm confident that you of all people Natsu will be able to get her past it." he said with a knowing look.

"I sure hope so Jellal, but I don't want to even imagine how Erza will take this news whenever they get back." said Natsu as his frown only got bigger.

"Once again I'm sure that you'll be there to help her through it and we both know I've already caused her enough pain to last a whole lifetime. At least this will be the last time that I hurt Erza and hopefully she'll be able to move on and no longer let the terrible past I inflicted on her to keep dragging her down." he stated with a confident grin.

"Do you want one?" asked Natsu as another cigar appeared in his left hand as he slip a different on into his mouth.

"Why the hell not considering what's going to happen to me tomorrow, and since when did you become a smoker and a heavy on at that?" he asked with a smirk as he looked at Natsu with two cigars in the right side of his mouth.

"Once I woke up after becoming the first dual elemental dragon slayer." answered Natsu while lighting the cigar in his hand with is other fingers and then having it float into Jellal's cell. With it dropping as soon as it went past some runes but was caught by a completely shocked Jellal who was now looking at him as if this was the first time that they have ever met before. "Oh and if you couldn't tell my second element is smoke which isn't the only new thing that I have learned since our last meeting." said Natsu with a shit eating grin spread across his face as Jellal could only stick the cigar in his mouth and continue to look at him in disbelief.

"No kidding, and why do I get the feeling that if we fought each other I wouldn't have a chance?" asked Jellal as he sent out a ring of smoke and watched it start to dissipate into the air.

"I have no idea why you would ever have such a crazy thought going through that head of yours. I mean you were a Wizard Saint for crying out loud and they are supposed to be the best of the best in this country." he said as he stated to lean against a wall nearby as the two chuckled at his last comment.

"That I was, and so much more." said Jellal after a few moments of silence now with a frown.

"How much do you remember?" asked Natsu just above a whisper.

"Every last terrible detail, which is why I've accepted that me dying might be for the best." he replied while looking at his feet as the temperature started to rise at an alarming rate. Causing him to look back up at an enraged dragon slayer glaring at him with a look that he would never forget and made him think back to when they fought at the tower.

"I don't believe that for a god damn second, every life has a value and shouldn't be wasted unless it's absolutely necessary." responded Natsu as a few alarms were going off as guards started to head his way.

"You are by far the most unique person I've ever had the pleasure of knowing Natsu Dragneel. My bad I meant Master Dragneel and I'd like to also say it seems like being a guild Master suits the new you." said Jellal after a little chuckle and blowing another smoke ring as Natsu stopped glaring at him.

"Thanks Jellal and you're not too bad of a guy yourself." he replied with his usual grin as he was now surrounded by guards.

"What are you trying to do Master Dragneel?" asked one brave guard since he was the one in charge at the moment.

"Just wanted to say my goodbyes and make sure that idiot in there remembered a few things." he stated as he turned away from Jellal's cell and started to walk away.

"Natsu can I ask you one last favor before you leave?" asked Jellal as he came to the front of his cell and looked out at him.

"I can't really deny the last wish of a dying man now can I?" Natsu asked back with a little smirk as he turned to look at Jellal.

"No you can's since that would kind of be a dick of a move now wouldn't it, so if you would make sure that you and no other one from Fairy Tail attends the execution I'd really appreciate it." he said with a slightly pleading look in his eyes.

"I guess if you don't want to see any of us at your final moments that's up to you Jellal. I guess we'll have to meet again in another life then Jellal and maybe we can start out as friends right away rather than us trying to kill each other." said Natsu as he went back to walking away from him.

"Maybe we could Natsu since stranger things have happened, oh and what is up with these shitty cigars?" he asked with a smile as he held out the cigar.

"Like I would waste my good ones on you Jellal, sorry but those are for celebrations and I'm sure you would've really liked them." stated Natsu with a smirk before leaving Jellal's eyesight.

"Thank you Natsu." he replied with a smirk as he sat back down on his bed and enjoyed his shitty cigar.

 **End of Chapter**

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Thanks for reading and I hope that you liked it. So the next chapter will probably start out with another time skip that I'll probably not have a recap at the beginning since nothing too noteworthy will have happened during that time. Which I guess means I'm done with these notes except for letting you know to feel free to leave me a review or pm and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.**

 **Also a quick heads up on something that I'm going to do which will hopefully allow me to update these stories quicker, something that a few of you have been asking for, if you'd like to find out what I'm planning on doing check out my profile since I don't want to waste any more of your time than I already have with this sentence here at the end.**

 **Until the next Chapter**

 **Digem Out!**


	27. Tea with a Goddess

Ch 27: Tea with a Goddess

 **June 18th X787 at Crocus center plaza:**

Usually this place would be bustling with people going about their daily routines, such as shopping for whatever it is that they desire or just felt like buying on a whim. But today that was not the case, which wasn't because of people not being gathered there; in fact the plaza was crowded with more people than it usual was. No today the crowd was pretty much completely silent as they all stared at the execution platform constructed in the very center of the busiest part of Crocus. All of the gathered people silently waiting for the public execution of the infamous Jellal Fernandes that was going to be taking place in the next few minutes. Who under the disguise of Siegrain was capable of single handedly taking down the previous Council from the inside without any of them realizing it until it was too late.

Most of the citizens of Fiore that were currently gathered in the plaza right now only came because they didn't actually believe there was going to be a public execution. Now the reason for such a thought was due to there never being even just a single execution like this within the last fifty years. Something that most people would see as a good thing with all things considered, but of course no one could deny that times were changing and the recent influx of drakes was a perfect example of that. It would also be noteworthy to point out that the crowd wasn't completely composed of just ordinary citizens. No it was in fact composed of quite a few important figures of the Council and even the Kingdom, which appeared to agree with the Council on this whole thing.

Of course the King and his immediate family weren't present for such a ghastly thing, but a few representatives and the squad of Royal Guards let everyone know that they supported this. The guards along with a few battalions of Rune Knights were there to make sure that everything went smoothly; something that a few members of the Council didn't believe was going to happen after their meeting yesterday. And those exact members were at the very center of the plaza keeping an eye out for the pink headed trouble maker who they believed would make some grand entrance any minute now. Something that all of the poor Knights and Guards were praying wouldn't happen since they knew none of them stood a chance against the dragon slayer even with them having him completely outnumbered.

This little fact might have also been a factor in the crowd being eerily quiet for the past few minutes, since none of the previously mentioned people could hide the fact that they were slightly scarred and nervous at what could possibly happen any second now. So when the trumpet sounded out the announcement of the arrival of Jellal Fernandes, the plaza somehow got even quieter than it was before. Leaving everyone to just stand there and watch as the prisoner was escorted to the platform by ten Rune Knights while also still being bound by magic suppressing cuffs. This took an agonizing five minutes of complete silence for the little procession to actually reach the stage and firmly secure him in his new restrains.

"As you all are well aware of, today is the day that Jellal Fernandes will finally receive the due punishment for his past crimes. That include such heinous acts as the organized slaughter of complete villages, …" announced the apparent executioner as he continued to tell everyone gathered there today of all the crimes that Jellal was being accused of. Some of which the Council decided to add on to his rap sheet since they truly didn't have any idea who actually committed them and just wanted to wrap the cases up, so of course the logical thing to do was just add them to Jellal's already impressive list.

After a few minutes of this the man finally got through all of the crimes that Jellal supposedly committed and went onto a long speech about justice and criminals like him being held accountable for their actions. "So what do you have to say for yourself Jellal Fernandes, since this will be your last time to speak your mind?" asked the executioner as he glared at the mage bound with his arms outstretched in each direction and his feet also being spread as well. Jellal's appearance was definitely not what most of the citizens expected to see when they heard that the Council and the kingdom of Fiore were going to be executing one of their most dangerous criminals. He just looked like any other man, actually that was wrong since he looked better than most men which is why he was once consider in the top ten mages that you would want as your boyfriend.

He currently was only wearing a blue sleeveless shirt and matching blue pants with black boots that finished off the very modest outfit. That just so happened to be the same outfit that he had been wearing when he was arrested almost three years ago, well except for the coat that he had on back then which was probably already being used by a Rune Knight when he wasn't on duty. But what he did next caused most of the people assembled to take a step back and realize that you definitely can't judge a person by their appearance alone.

The crowd gathered had to listen to almost a full two minutes of hysterical laughter spewing out from the ex-councilman and ex-Wizard Saint. That finally stopped as he locked eyes with his executioner, allowing the closer spectators to see the pure hatred and contempt held in them. "I do have a few final words for everyone to hear before I'm gone!" Jellal spat out as he redirected his glare from the executioner to the Council members gathered there today to watch his final moments. All of them not being able to look at him in the eyes since they all knew what they would see from them, it was more than some of them could handle right now.

"First and foremost you fucking Council assholes won't get away with this, sooner or later someone will figure out what you're up to. And unfortunately I won't be there to watch all of it come crumbling down like I know it will. Since the one thing that I know to be true in this crazy world, is that no matter what you might try to do to prevent it from happening, the truth will come out eventually." he shouted out loud enough for everyone to hear him, all the while having a crazed grin spread across his face.

"So think about that when you all go to sleep tonight and every night from here on out, because sooner or later that justice you all claim to be fighting for will be turned on you. And not because of it being twisted against all of you, no it will be because of what you have all been doing in secret under the pretense of protecting Fiore. When in fact it was all just to protect yourselves and your comfy positions in the Council." he finished now with smug grin spread across his face as he could see a few of the Council members take his words to heart.

"Is that all?" asked the executioner after waiting a few moments for the man to continue on with his rant.

"Yes, so let's get this farce over with already." replied Jellal as he hung his head down and the executioner went on with the proceedings. Once again announce to the people gathered that this was for the sake of justice and the protection of the kingdom. It finally ended with him placing his hand on the back of Jellal as a large amount of magic was released and Jellal's body going limp in the chains, now being the only things holding him up.

Most of the people gathered were wondering what just happened since they expected it to be a little more brutal than him just slumping over and no longer moving since it was the end of him. So they all remained silent as a doctor went and inspected the body as it remained hanging there for a little over a minute. She then went and quietly whispered something to executioner's ear and headed off the stage and into the crowd.

"Jellal Fernandes is now officially dead." he announced as a few guards went about taking down his body. With this announcement the crowd slowly started to disperse in silence as most of them started to ponder the final words of someone the country used to see as a great man. All wondering what he was actually accusing the Council of doing, since he didn't go into detail at all, or if it was just the mad thoughts of a man at the end of the line.

 **Meanwhile at the exit of the worst part of Crocus:**

A cloaked person was discreetly making their way to the exit, making sure to not be noticed by any of the locals. At least that was the plan, until they felt the presence of the last person they wanted to run into appear right in front of them as he had a stern look spread across his face that used to always be cheerful one. Something that he wished would be the case right now, but considering the current circumstances it was definitely more appropriate for him to have his current expression.

"You know that this isn't going to end well for anyone involved don't you?" asked Natsu as he continued to stare at the cloaked figure before him. That rather than responding with their voice decided to nod their head in agreement and see what he had in plan for them.

Natsu let out a long sigh, as he then shook his head at once again finding himself in a situation that he would've been completely fine with not being a part of. But with a slight grin making its way across his face he couldn't help but realize that because of things like this his life has never once been boring for him. "Well I guess I'm someone that has no right to judge you on this, since I can only assume you have your own reasons for going along with this." he said still having that slight grin.

"I do." replied the stranger with a slight grin of their own.

"Good, but I feel the need to tell you that if any of this comes back to possibly harm anyone that I care about…" stated Natsu as his magic started to flare up while he showed off his fangs. "Let's just say that up till now that the Council hasn't even seen half of what I'm capable of accomplishing when properly motivated. Hopefully that won't need to happen since I have enough things to worry about right now and for the foreseeable future, but like I said before I just felt the need to let you know since you might be the first person I come after." he finished with a grin that made the stranger have second thoughts about all of this.

But after they thought about why they were doing all of this they knew that Natsu was only trying to make sure that they were completely committed in going through with this. So with the confidence that they usually had they decided to continue on with making their way out of the city, which meant that they had to pass the dragon slayer standing in front of him. "I'm fine with that Salamander, because if it does come to that then the reason for me doing any of this has all been for nothing." they replied now just five feet in front of Natsu.

As the cloaked figure was about to pass him a bag was shoved into their chest, which they grabbed out of reflex. Turning to see what the meaning of this was they were surprised to see Natsu walking back into the town with his hands in his pocket. "Salamander what is the meaning of this?" asked the cloaked figure while still holding the bag with a questioning look on their face.

Natsu stopped and once again let out a long sigh as he turned back to look at them. "Jeez, I really didn't think I would have to explain something like this to you of all people. Just open it up and I'm sure that you'll be able to figure it out since it doesn't take a genius to piece it together." He replied with smirk before turning away and proceeded to leave again.

So the figure decided that they wanted to figure out what in the world was going on and it seemed that looking into the bag was the only way to accomplish that. And as soon as they did they were completely caught off guard for a few reasons, the first was that they initially didn't know what they were looking at. But once they did they were even more confused since it made no sense for Natsu Dragneel to have all of this stuff just randomly stored in his pocket dimension.

"Salamander!" they shouted out, demanding that he explain what he intended for them to do with what they were just given.

"Are you sure that it's a smart idea to shout out my name when you're trying to sneak out of town unnoticed?" asked Natsu as he continued to walk away with an even bigger smirk than before.

"Shit you're right, but you need to explain yourself since I've already done it." replied the cloaked figure as they continued to stare at the retreating figure of Natsu.

"I don't need to do anything I don't want to, which is something that I would have thought the Council would understand by now. But I guess it would be too much to expect that they would change from their old ways in a few months just because it would make everything easier for me." he said as he came to a stop and turned back to the person he had been conversing with this whole time.

But rather than coming back and explaining like the cloaked figure wanted him to, the dragon slayer had a smug grin spread across his face as he started to shift into smoke. "We'll have to finish this conversation later, which I'm sure is bound to happen sooner or later." he said before being completely gone and only leaving behind a small poof of smoke as he sped away to who knows where.

Needless to say the cloaked figure was still a little confused at what all of this meant, but there really was only one possible explanation that made sense with the given circumstances. Even if they still couldn't figure out why the dragon slayer that used to just race straight into every encounter he had head first was now somehow able to plan everything way in advance than he ever had any right to, for numerous reasons such as the odds of them happening being extremely low just like this current instance was. But putting that aside the cloaked figure couldn't help but grin down at the contents of the bag they were just given.

"I'm going to hold you to that Natsu, especially since you've made it a whole lot easier for me to meet you again." said the figure as they turned around and headed towards the exit again. All the while grinning, because they just like everyone else that encountered Natsu just a few short three years ago couldn't help but be impressed with how much he's changed since then.

 **June 20th X787 at Fairy Tail:**

For the last two days the atmosphere at Fairy Tail has been quite somber thanks to a certain time mage that blamed herself for the execution that took place two days ago. Even after the whole guild tried to get her to realize that it wasn't her fault, she however remained steadfast in her belief that it was solely because of her that Jellal meet his unfortunate end. Meredy and Liza were also surprisingly unable to convince her otherwise as well, so they all agreed to let Natsu handle this when he finally returned which just so happened to be right now.

"I'm back everyone…" he said as he marched into his guild, not really surprised to find it in such a gloomy atmosphere given what just took place a few days ago. "Okay everyone, it's fine to have a few days of mourning but it's about time that it comes to an end." he stated to the shock of most of the guild.

"Natsu!" scolded Meredy as she and a few other women glared at him since Ultear was clearly still having a really hard time dealing with this. Who was currently hugging Liza as if the little girl might disappear if she let go of her for just a moment, wondering how she would ever atone for everything she did before Natsu helped her turn onto the right path.

"Meredy could you please hold Liza for a bit since it seems that Ultear and I need to go and have a talk for a bit in private." he replied now using his Master tone, which that alone got a few of the members even more worried. Especially after Ultear seemed to tighten her hold on the little girl at hearing this and apparently not wanting to go along with it.

Natsu could of course see that his wife was currently in complete and utter turmoil over this, so he did what felt natural which happened to be bringing her into a loving hug. And while he did this he whispered into her ear that he was confident that she would want to hear what he had to say to her in private.

"Fine, but it's not going to make me feel any better about any of this." she mumbled back as she begrudgingly let go of Liza who was still a little confused at why everyone seemed to be so sad. And that especially went for her mother, which is why she was more than happy to be held by her and possibly help her through whatever it was that was going on right now.

"We'll be back in a few minutes." stated Natsu as he led Ultear up to his office where they could discuss what he did while in Crocus without anyone listening in on them. While leaving the rest of the guild in silence as they waited for the two to finish their conversation that took almost thirty minutes to complete. Causing a few members to actually start panicking about what the two of them could be doing up there for so long and as Fairy Tail is known to do, someone started a bet. This caused the guild to explode into a heated discussion about what was going on up there, with none of them being brave enough to try and figure out what was happening. Because of obvious reasons such as them wanting to live for at least a few more days, and would rather not have their last moments alive being spent at the mercy of the two Dragneel's upstairs if they got caught.

But the entire livelihood in the guild instantly came to a screeching halt at the sounds of the door opening upstairs, which was then followed by the sounds of the two coming out and to the railing. "Alight everyone, I will continue from where I left off before. And that is yes it's sad that Jellal can no longer atone for his previous crimes since the Council was too stupid to listen to me. But we can all take solace in the fact that thanks to him Nirvana wasn't unleashed upon the rest of the world and also that he intended on trying to make up for all his past crimes." he stated with stern look on his face as he looked down at all of his mages.

"So let's not morn his passing, when we should be celebrating that he was able to come to the light eventually. Something that a lot of people in his circumstance wouldn't have been able to do before it was too late. To Jellal Fernandes, the man that gave me enough power to prevent Zero from bringing the wizarding world to its knees." said Natsu as he did the Fairy Tail symbol, which soon had the rest of the guild doing the same thing as a final send off to a mage that most of them didn't even know. But if their Master considered Jellal a mage worthy of being shown respect like this, then who were they to argue against him since it was thanks to Natsu that they were still standing proudly as the number one guild in Fiore.

"Now let's party like he would have wanted us to and keep looking towards tomorrow!" cheered Natsu as his guild members were more than happy to follow his lead. And just like that the atmosphere of the guild did a complete one eighty after just a few choice words from their Master, who was somehow even able to get Ultear slightly smiling down at them as he hugged her lovingly. The rest of the day consisted of Fairy Tail having a huge celebration in Jellal's honor and for the good he was still responsible for, the party went on into the night and resulted in a few members spending the night in the guild hall.

 **Two months later: August 25th X787 at the Dragneel household early morning:**

This was probably the only time of the day that the household was almost completely quiet when it actually had people in it. And the reason for that was due simply to the fact that most of the occupants where currently sleeping peacefully and dreaming about what tomorrow might bring them. Well that is what was usually going through most of their heads at this time, but unfortunately for one of them their head was plaguing them with nightmares of their past.

"Live sweetie, you need to keep moving forward and do not let your past prevent you from having a bright future." said a woman trapped in a burning building as she urged a young girl to leave her. It was something that the little girl clearly didn't want to do as she continued to cry in front of the woman that shared a strong resemblance to her.

"I will mom, but I need you to be there with me." replied the little girl in between coughs from the smoke and her own sobs of despair.

"Sorry honey but I won't be able to do that, so please promise me that you'll do as I say." she stated with a slight smile despite the grim situation they were currently in. The next thing that the little girl did filled the mother with so much pride, because rather doing what she was told her daughter gave her the best hug that she could do with half of her being pinned down.

"No mom, because I'm going to save you." declared the girl after separating from the hug and then starting to try and pull her mother to safety. Despite it being a completely impossible task for a girl of her age to achieve, even if the house wasn't currently on fire like it was.

"Kei there is nothing you can do to save me now, but what you can do is keep living for the both of us and find a new family where you can make new and happier memories than the ones you have now." said the mother with a loving smile directed at her daughter who was still valiantly trying to save her.

"No I won't leave you mom, and I don't want a new family when I already have you!" cried out Kei as she gave her hardest pull she could muster. That unfortunately only resulted with her losing her grip and falling to the ground and landing on her bum.

"Kei you are the best thing that has ever happened to me and it's my duty as a mother to protect you. So please listen to your mother's last request and leave me here so you don't die as well." she said with a hopeful expression on her face as she gazed at her crying daughter.

"But I'm not strong enough mom, I still need you!" cried out Kei as tears continued to stream out of her eyes and slip down her sad face.

"You are stronger than any other person I've ever met Kei, and I'm not saying that because I'm your mother. And it's because of you that these past two years have been the best years of my life, despite us always having to be on the run from him. So don't you try and tell me you're not strong enough darling, I know it will be hard but I know that you will be able to keep moving forward with that beautiful smile on yours." she replied in a calm voice, while inwardly panicking since the house looked like it could collapse any moment now.

Kei could still tell that her mother was actually in pain right now, but she could also see that currently despite all of that her mother was way more concerned with her wellbeing. So she did what her mother asked her to do and started to slowly make her way out of the burning hallway that they were currently in, not knowing that this moment would be something that she would constantly think of in the future. Regretting that she wasn't strong enough to help her mother, or even staying with her until the final moment like she believe a good daughter would do.

"Thank you Kei and I'm sorry that I couldn't protect you like I should have been able to." said her mother as she closed her eyes with a content expression on her face knowing that at least her only daughter was going to make it out of all of this, even if she might never get past this terrible event. At least she now still had a slight chance of being able to, which she wouldn't have been able to if she had stayed there and died with her.

Kei tumbled out of the burning building and came to a stop after rolling down the small hill in front of it where she finally realized how little air there was to breathe inside of her house. After catching her breath she looked up just in time to see the roof of the small house cave in on itself as the flames seemed to only grow in intensity.

"MOM!" screamed out Kei as her whole world up till that point came crashing down around her. But before she could completely give into despair her mother's true finally wishes rang out in her mind. "Live Kei, you need to keep moving forward and do not let your past prevent you from having a bright future." said her mother in an angelic voice that she would always remember till she too finally passed on to the afterlife.

"I will mom." she declared loudly as she continued to cry and turned away from the only person that she cared for at all in the last two years. This was the last thing Kei remembered as she woke up to a completely quite house as a few tears escaped her eyes.

"Why did I have that dream now of all times?" she thought to herself as see looked up at the ceiling. Not needing Ares to tell her why she had that dream again, because she knew that she was once again afraid that she might lose her family for the third time if things went badly today.

"Oh come on Kei, you should know by now that what you're thinking is the last thing I want to happen to you." stated Ares in an amused tone that irritated Kei to no end.

"No I don't know that, from how you look down on most of my guild members nothing would surprise me now." thought Kei as she got out of her bed, knowing that there was no way she was going to be able to sleep again anytime soon.

"I don't look down on half the people in this house." she pointed out once again in her amused tone.

"And it's only those people, everyone else you think of as insects." Kei thought as she headed to the shower with her usual outfit in hand.

"That's because the rest haven't proven themselves as worthy warriors yet." she responded now in a serious tone since fighting was truly one of the few things she actually cared about.

"For the last time Ares there is more to a person than just their ability to fight, and I know that is the first thing Natsu would say if he heard you say that." Kei thought as she slipped out of her nightgown and hopped into the scalding hot shower. Letting herself enjoy the searing heat of it as it cascaded down her body, something that she wasn't able to even enjoy before joining Fairy Tail. And more specifically started training with a certain dragon slayer that wanted to make sure she was no longer completely terrified of fire in any shape or form.

"He might say that to all of you, but I know that at least a little part of him knows that the only thing that actually matters is that you are able to defeat your foes. And if that isn't the case then please tell me why he's working so hard to become stronger with each passing day?" asked Ares now with a smug tone lacing her voice.

"He's doing that to protect the rest of us of course." she replied without even thinking about it since it's what she truly believed. If that wasn't why he did it then what would be the purpose of training everyone else to get stronger if he was only concerned about his own strength she thought as an afterthought.

"That's only his reason to justify his current actions to the rest of you, and don't you find it odd that he is still growing in strength even after becoming the Master of your guild? And pretty much the only thing that he does that could even slightly be considered beneficial to growing in strength is him training the rest of those weaklings and fighting those ignorant drakes." said Ares with a knowing voice that Kei knew meant the god of war wasn't telling her everything that was going on right now.

"Natsu says that each fight with a drake is a fight to the death, so no it doesn't surprise me that he's still getting stronger. And you obviously don't know him at all if you believe that about him, yes he does love fighting more than most people do. But that is kind of to be expected when you're as good at it as he is, and it was also the main thing that his father Igneel taught him. Also we don't even know what he does on his own most nights and mornings." she thought as she started to wash her hair, something that she was surprised to receive so many compliments about. But she was then taken a little off guard by the sound of Ares actually starting to laugh with no hint of it stopping anytime soon.

"What in the world could you find so funny right now?" she thought, while also wishing she could zone the goddess out during times like this. But alas she wasn't strong enough to do that yet and from what Ares hinted at she might never be able to accomplish it.

It took a full minute for Ares to finally calm down and respond to the question in her usual tone. "All of this right now in fact, because that man somehow has all of you believing everything that comes out of his mouth without any of you raising a single question against him." she answered once again in an amused tone as Kei started to dry off with a pink towel.

"Why wouldn't we when he's done absolutely nothing to make us question him?" asked Kei in a very defensive tone as she wished she could glare at the goddess right now.

"I should have known that you wouldn't be able to talk about this like an adult given your feelings for him." stated Ares in a superior tone.

"W-w-what feelings a-are you talking about?" she stuttered out now with a little blush gracing her cheeks as she started to get dressed.

Her response resulted in her having to listen to the goddess of war laughing up a storm once again, that only made her blush grow even more as she realized they both can hear the other's thoughts. "It seems that you remembered that I can hear all of your thoughts, even the ones that you would prefer if I didn't." chuckled Ares as she continued to try and rein in her amusement at all of this.

"Hey, I only ever had those thoughts in the first place because of what you keep saying about him. So if anyone has any secret feelings for Natsu I'm pretty sure it's you Ares, but you do realize that he's already spoken for." she thought back with a smug grin now coming over her face as her previous embarrassment disappeared in an instant.

And she knew that she might have finally found something that could be used against the goddess since she didn't get a response for a few moments. "Those aren't any real feelings but lust, I am just only admiring his figure and think it might not be a bad thing if you finally got laid." replied Ares in a tone that wasn't as confident as her normal one.

"Sure they are, and there are plenty of other men out there who aren't married." she stated while looking in the mirror and realizing she somehow forgot to work on her hair for the day, which is what she instantly started to work on.

"They aren't and I will not let an inferior man sully your honor, which is why I'm pushing for Salamander since he's the only true man I've seen so far." stated Ares in a commanding tone that caused Kei to actually flinch at hearing it. This then made her realize that if the goddess was actually serious about this she could very easily not even have any sort of a love life for a really long time.

As she thought of that she started to actually get upset with the goddess who was trying to control her life more than she already was. "Since when do you care about things like that Ares? And also I don't really think that you have a say in who I'm interested in or eventually finally sleep with." replied Kei as she glared at herself in the mirror, and was surprised once again with the sound of Ares laughing.

"You are indeed full of surprises Kei, because if I recall correctly, you would have never talked to me like that before joining Fairy Tail. Granted you actually thought that you might be going crazy whenever I talked to you, but you still would have never responded like that." she said after calming down.

Kei honestly didn't know how to respond to this, and before she could even reply Ares decided to continue talking with her. "So I guess I would have to say I started to care for you more when Salamander showed me that you were actually capable of getting stronger. Something that I started to believe wasn't going to ever happen after what transpired with Mana." she continued in a sad tone, which mimicked the expression of Kei's face at the mention of her friend.

"I was actually starting to believe that too, but luckily we happened to stumble into Magnolia and then into Master Macao that very same day." stated Kei with a frown that slowly turned into a slight smile as she remembered how nice she was instantly treated by everyone at Fairy Tail before even joining them.

"We were both quite fortunate it turned out that way, since who knows how long it could have taken for me to find a new human capable of merging with me. And yes I don't have any say in who you might fall in love with, but I do have one when it comes to who beds you since I'm in here as well. So remember that Kei if you decided to not listen to me on this, because I'm confident that I could possibly take over by the end of it." she said in a normal tone at the beginning, that towards the end reminded Kei of how she used to talk with her. Needless to say Kei definitely preferred their current relationship for a wide variety of reasons, the biggest two were of course not having the goddess constantly taunting her and instead having Ares actually teach her new moves and how to get a better grasp on her magic.

"I didn't even think about that." mumbled Kei to herself with a slightly scared expression gracing her face.

"That you didn't, which is why I told you, because like I said before I really do like it here. And I don't want to do something that would cause us to have to leave, which is what I would do if you don't listen to me on this one thing." replied the goddess in a concerned tone, once again shocking her host.

"Fine Ares, but this only makes me think that you really do have a thing for Natsu." stated Kei in an amused tone as she smiled brightly at herself in the mirror, content with her current appearance.

"For the last time girl, I do not have a thing for that little dragon! And how did we even get to talking about this when I was trying to get you to realize that he is keeping some very big secrets from everyone at the guild. Well except for that other dragon slayer who now has a matching tattoo, but I bet Salamander only told him the bare minimum concerning it." she grumbled, which only caused Kei to let out a slight giggle as she tried to exit the house without waking anyone else up.

But it would seem that she wasn't the only one who was having troubles sleeping in the house, because sitting in middle of the sofa by herself was Liza. Who was currently at the moment, extremely focused on the large book she was slowly looking through on her lap. So with as much finesse as she could muster Kei tried to sneak past the little girl and slip out the door before she was noticed.

"What were you giggling at?" asked Liza suddenly as she looked up at Kei who was only halfway across the living room.

"You heard that?" she asked back in shock since it was a really quiet giggle in her opinion.

"Yep, so what made you giggle?" asked Liza as she locked eyes with the only other awake member in the house. And just from staring into the little girl's purple eyes, Kei could tell she had already experienced more heartache than anyone should ever have to in their life. But even after all of that she was somehow able to continue on and start making a new life for herself with the help of Natsu of course.

"Just something that a friend said to me earlier, so what are you reading this early in the morning Liza?" replied Kei quickly, not wanting to trust her secret of Ares with a seven year old. "That was some pretty quick thinking you did there Kei." complemented Ares in an amused tone.

"It's daddy's favorite book, and it's mainly full of pictures of him when he was younger." she answered with a bright smile as she looked back down at the book. This of course surprised Kei since she would have believed Natsu's favorite book would be the one that he was constantly reading and was the only person who could read it since it was centered on everything dragon related and written in draconic.

Kei couldn't help but let her curiosity take control as she headed to take a seat on the sofa and look at this book, which was probably a better way to spend her time this morning. Rather than just wondering around until the fated meeting took place in a few hours that she was still extremely nervous about. "Would you mind if I looked at it with you?" asked Kei with a hopeful smile.

"Sure, but it's better when daddy's here since he has great stories to tell with each page." she replied as she turned the page. The new page had a job flyer on it that looked to have been at least seven years old and to the side of it was a picture of young Natsu. Who looked like he had just gotten the shit kicked out of him, which didn't match the huge smile that he was proudly being displayed with him being able to see from only one of his eyes.

"Wow he's so young, and why in the world is he so happy after being beaten up like that?" she asked not noticing that see was smiling at the picture of her Master when he was a lot younger. Maybe at the current age of Sting and Rogue since he looked to almost be the same build as those two are right now.

"I can tell that even back then he was a maniac when it came to fighting." stated Ares.

"Daddy said that this was one of the first jobs he did by himself that he felt like he actually made a difference. All by himself he took down a group of bandits that where being mean to a few towns really far away from here in the west." explained Liza with a little gleam in her eyes.

"Your dad is an incredible man." she replied, which made her feel a little better about her meeting with him in a few hours. Because even if Ares did do something that she would really rather she didn't, she knew that Natsu could handle it and not hold it against her.

"Yep, which is why I want to be just like him when I grow up." declared Liza as she did the Fairy Tail symbol with her right hand. To then promptly flip to the next page and tell Kei about what she remembered Natsu telling her about it and from what Kei could tell there really wasn't much the little girl forgot. So for the next two hours the two looked through most of the book, which by the end of it Kei felt like she actually knew the old team Natsu and got an overall better understanding of him as well in the process.

"Thanks for letting me look at this with you Liza, but I've got to be going if I plan on meeting your dad like we discussed." she said as she got up, wishing that she could stay a little longer and make it to the end of the scrap book that seemed to chronical Natsu Dragneel's life at Fairy Tail.

"Okay Kei, if you want we can finish going through this tomorrow morning." replied Liza as she looked down at the book nervously, afraid that she might get turned down. So she was a little surprised when she was pulled into a caring hug by the older woman the next second.

"I would really like that Liza and there is nothing that could stop me from doing that with you." she stated with a determined voice. Deciding right then and there that she was definitely going to do that with Liza since she could somewhat understand how it felt to constantly be afraid that you'd be turned down.

"I can't wait." said Liza as she closed the book with an excited look on her face. Hoping off of the sofa to go and place the book back on its shelf, Kei decided to use this time to head off to the designated meeting place that she and Natsu picked out earlier in the woods.

 **A few minutes later in the middle of the woods in front of a small waterfall:**

"I was beginning to think that you decided to back out of this again." stated Natsu from his sitting position in front of the waterfall. Not even bothering to turn around and see who it was that came out into the woods to talk with him since he detected her presence as soon as she was about a mile away from him.

No matter how many times he did things like that in front of her, Kei still couldn't help but be impressed with how enhanced his senses were, that easily put most animals to shame. She also took notice that he wasn't wearing his orange coat like he usually did since it was thrown over a nearby bush. This allowed her to finally inspect his most recent addition to his outfit, which was a custom designed chest and back piece by none other than Bianca.

It was colored just like his shoulder pads with the exception that rather than the middle of the chest pieces being black, there was a very elaborate dragon design that Bianca wouldn't back down about having on it. And the other thing that set this piece of armor apart rather than being made from drake scales, was that it looked to have five major pieces on the front. This was for the main purpose of still allowing Natsu the flexibility that he demanded while also giving him a lot more protection than what his previous outfit was giving him before, which was nothing to scoff at.

But all of that was instantly forgotten by Kei as her eyes locked onto a fairly fresh scar now fully on display on the right side of his neck. A place that she now realized was usually covered up by the collar of his coat that he pretty much had on whenever she saw him. "Natsu when in the world did you get that one, sorry I meant Master Dragneel?" asked Kei, slightly embarrassed that she would every once and a while just call him by his first name.

And just like every time she did it before his response was to chuckle a little at her. "For hopefully the last time Kei it's fine if you call me that. Honestly I still find all of you calling me Master really odd, but since everyone else seems fine with it I guess I am too. And I got this one and a few more from those last two drakes I fought two days ago, but that's what I get for thinking I could easily take on an ice and wind drake by myself. Just goes to show you how important it is to pick advantageous fights, if you have the option that is." he said with a big grin as he patted the spot to his right, signaling for her to take a seat.

"Why didn't you take any of the other dragon slayers with you?" she asked as she knelt down beside him. Noticing the content look on his face as he watched the small waterfall that had a small pond underneath it with more fish swimming in it than she thought there should be.

"I thought that they could all use at least one day off, but like an idiot I chose to do that when two of the possibly worst match ups of drakes for a fire mage showed up. I'm still here so I guess it all turned out okay in the end, but we both know that you didn't come here to chat about stuff like this." he answered while making a few hand gestures and then mumbling something that she couldn't hear. That then to her complete shock and awe caused a small ball of water to emerge from the pond with two fish still swimming in it.

"Holy crap, when in the world did you learn how to do that?" shouted out Kei as she pointed at the floating ball of water.

"I've only been able to do this for less than a month and that's because it's the exact opposite of my original magic. It's definitely the one that has been giving me the most trouble since I found out that I was going to be the next Master of Fairy Tail." he replied with a little smirk.

"Are you saying that you know how to use more types of magic than what you usually use in fights?" she asked with a stunned look on her face.

"Yes I can, and it really shouldn't be that surprising since most Masters know a lot of different types of magic so that they can help their mages become stronger along the way. And the best way for me to accomplish that is to have at least a small understanding of as many as I can, which also mean I need to be able to use them a little bit at least for me to have a chance at helping others. But once again this isn't why we're meeting out here in the middle of nowhere today." he explained as he dispelled the orb of water and turned to look at her. Once again making the woman before him realize how intimidating he looked with all of those scars and that intense stare of his.

"No it isn't." she replied once again becoming slightly nervous at what they were about to do as she watched the two fish rejoin the group that they used to be a part of moments earlier.

She was a little surprised when a warm hand was placed on her shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "You know you don't have to do this until you're completely ready Kei, I'm sure that Ares won't mind waiting a little longer if that's what you need." stated Natsu in a very concerned tone as he smiled at her.

"I know, but I think that over a year of waiting is long enough for her. Besides I actually believe she doesn't mean to do any harm and just wants to talk with you. Even if it's just because she has a little crush on you." she replied with a nervous smile, and she only thought the last part since she knew how good his hearing was.

"For the last freaking time Kei that is not why I wanted to talk to him!" shouted a slightly enraged Ares.

"Says the person that is always commenting about what she would love to do with his body if given the chance." thought Kei with a little smirk making an appearance on her face.

"Wanting to have sex with him and having a crush on him are completely different things." snarled Ares, who was mainly upset that she accidently gave the girl something to tease her about.

"You just keep telling yourself that." thought Kei, not noticing that Natsu was trying to get her attention.

"I will, and you do realize that he has been trying to get your attention this whole time." she stated in an amused tone as Kei jumped away from Natsu while letting out a little scream.

"Having a nice little chat with her?" he asked with a knowing look.

"I guess you could say that." replied Kei as she looked away in embarrassment as he let out a little chuckle.

"Well it's up to you Kei when you want to let her take over." he said while going back to watching the fish in the pond.

"Might as well get this over with then, Ares you can have full control." she replied to only then be completely covered in a red aura as her magic came rolling off of her. And just like the last two times this happened Kei was now wearing a suit of armor, but unlike the previous times this suit was a little different. To put it simply this one was sexier than the previous one since it showed off a lot more of her skin.

Her breast plate would definitely be more accurately described as a tube top or even a bikini top since it completely left her midriff bare. And rather than the long skirt that she wore before she was now wearing a mini skirt that let the rest of the world know that she definitely had a really nice pair of legs. The last thing to change from her previous outfit was her cape that now looked to be in pristine condition and stopped at her knees, otherwise it was the exact same pieces of armor that she had before.

"So what do you think Salamander?" asked Ares as she took off her helmet dramatically and started to walk towards him while deliberately swaying her hips more than she normal would.

She watched as Natsu looked at her up and down while scratching his chin, and then motioning her to give him a little spin so he could see it from all sides. "I'd have to say that this one seems like it's less practical than your last one." he said in a monotone voice as he sat back down. This of course was definitely not the reaction that the goddess was hoping for, and she planned on letting the dragon slayer know it.

"Before you attack me, you do realize that if you happen to lose again that means we won't be able to talk until the next time Kei is ready to let you take over. And I can only imagine that it will be a hell of a lot longer than this time." stated Natsu, causing Ares to stop just a foot away from him with her spear pointed at the back of his head.

The first emotion that you could easily see going across her face was that of pure rage and anger, but it was soon replaced with one of contemplation. After which she let out a long sigh, clearly realizing that he was correct about all of that so she would have to let him off the hook this time. Well at least with the beating she was planning on giving him that is. "That would be the last thing I want, but you do realize that I didn't want to hear a comment like that. In fact no woman would want to hear something like you said if they asked the opinion of a man about their outfit." she said while taking a seat next to him.

"So are you saying that I should have lied to you about it, because I know for a fact that I am correct about what I said? And if you were fishing for some sort of complement about your figure, than the only thing you're ever going to get from me is saying that you look beautiful, since I see Kei as a younger sister that I need to protect." he replied while turning to look at her. Seeing from her facial expression that she was a little upset at hearing this, but that was soon replaced by her usual smug look that just screamed she was up to something.

"So what I'm hearing is that if I want a better response from you I need to change my form as well. Next time we have a little meeting I'll be sure to do that as well." she said with smirk that made Natsu wish he had worded that differently. But it was too late for that so he might as well get to know this other side of Kei while he could.

"If you could do that then why didn't you?" he asked with an eyebrow raised questioningly.

"Because it's a waste of energy since it doesn't help me in any other way except for my appearance. Something that I really don't have to be concerned about considering that Kei's body is something that most men would be all over, which makes me wonder what is wrong with you." she replied with a sly grin as she leaned against him.

"Makes sense I guess and there is nothing wrong with me. And I know for a fact that you already know I'm married to Ultear, so why would I be interested in anyone else?" he asked her back with a slight glare, thinking about stopping her from leaning against him but he didn't see any harm in it so he let her be.

At hearing that Ares could only let out a little scoff and roll her eyes at him. "You and I both know that most men would jump at the chance of having a little fun with someone new if they knew they wouldn't get caught. In fact a lot of men actually try to have a few women not even caring if their lies will eventually be found out." she stated back to him.

"I'm not like most men; also the whole being a dragon slayer thing makes it almost impossible for me to do that if I even wanted to. Oh and just so you know I wouldn't even want to since I would never want to possibly hurt Ultear with something as selfish as that." said Natsu with a stern look sent the goddess's way.

"Even with her being pregnant and completely irrational like she is right now?" she asked while not even losing her smirk in the slightest bit.

"Hell no, and if I have to just put up with not getting any from her for a few months and her being a little crazy every now and then. Than that is fine by me since I know that it will all be worth it end when our kid comes into the world fine and healthy." he answered with not an ounce of deceit or deception in his voice. And just a quick glance at his face let you know that he definitely meant every single word of it.

"You are by far one of the most interesting beings I've ever met during all of my years on this world, which is quiet impressive since I've met a few other gods and demons." said Ares as she shook her head back and forth.

"Thanks I guess, so how long have you been finding new hosts or whatever you call Kei?" he asked while taking notice that she didn't say human like he thought she would have. Making him once again remember that he was supposedly dealing with a god of war a being that is just as mysterious as a dragon. And that he shouldn't let his guard down any more than he already was.

"Oh just for a few hundred years, which is actually a really short time for gods. But now I have a question for you Salamander, why haven't you told your precious little guild about that tattoo of yours and what it really means?" she asked while poking him in the chest. She enjoyed the shocked look that flashed over his face for less than a second. Only for it to then be replaced with his normal neutral expression that he had while talking with her up to this point.

"I have no idea what you're talking about Ares, it's just a tattoo that I thought looked cool." he replied, while internally screaming in his head that this could possibly get bad if she had already talked with Kei about it.

"Cut the crap Salamander, I probably know more than you do about that emblem since I was around when it was actually in use and everyone feared it. You know, a goddess that has lived for a few centuries gets to know a thing or two about stuff like that." she stated while glaring at him so he knew she wasn't joking around about this.

As he saw it he only had two options in this situation, the first was continuing to try and play dumb. But judging from her look she wasn't going to believe that for a second, that only left him with telling the truth which is what he decided to do right after letting out a small sigh. "Fine, but you can't blame me for hoping that it was before your time. And as for your question about why I haven't shared it with the rest of the guild that is probably because it really doesn't have anything to do with most of them." responded Natsu with a little smirk of his own.

"So how much are you going to tell the other dragon slayers?" she asked while intently studying his every movement.

"Only what they need to know, which is that once they get to a certain age they too will receive their own. Of course I'll have to elaborate a little more like I did with Cobra, but after explaining why I want them to have it I'm confident that Sting and Rogue will agree just like he did." he answered as he looked up at the clouds that were slowly floating above the trees.

"Don't you think it would be smarter to let them in on all of it?" she asked with what Natsu could only assume was her concerned voice.

"Possibly Ares, but I've finally realized that sometimes it's better to not just let everyone in on what's going on behind the scenes. And considering that this could easily change all of the dragon slayers into completely different people I'd rather wait to tell them when I'm confident that they can handle it." he said now laying on his back and still watching the clouds pass by.

Ares could easily see that this was definitely something he thought about for a really long time and was probably something that he would continue to debate about until he finally told them. And after thinking about it for a bit she realized she would probably be doing the same thing if she was in his position, but there was still one thing that she wanted to find out. "So how will you know when they are ready to find out, because I can't imagine that you were prepared to find out all of this?" she asked, noticing him just shrug his shoulders.

"I guess I'll just know when it's right, otherwise they'll figure out once they learn how to read draconic and find out for themselves. And if we go by how things are going right now I don't think Cobra or Sting will ever find out on their own, while Rogue on the other hand might learn about all of this in four years or so." he answered.

"You are definitely a unique one Salamander." stated Ares with a smile.

"I've been told that pretty much my entire life and I have a feeling that it will stay that way till the very end." he said with a smile of his own.

"Are you sure I can't convince you into having a little fun with me?" she asked with a sultry smirk as she lay down beside him.

"Absolutely, and didn't I make that clear before with the whole being a dragon slayer thing?" he asked her back while shaking his head at her.

"From what I heard you say it was almost impossible for you to have another mate as your kind likes to call them, which means there are ways around that. Now all I have to do is find out what they are so we can have a little fun that doesn't revolve around trying to kill the other person." she stated as she moved closer to him, definitely invading his personal space.

"First off I would never try and kill you or Kei, and as for how to get around the whole one mate thing I'm sure as hell not going to tell you." said Natsu as he wondered why for Mavis's sake this goddess was so into him of all people.

"I have a theory of how to possibly accomplish it, but I'm pretty sure you would then take back what you just said about not hurting us." she said with a mischievous grin that was soon wiped away when a strong hand grabbed her throat.

Holding Ares down to the ground by her throat was now possibly one of the most terrifying things that the goddess has ever had the displeasure of witnessing. The person holding her down to the ground was no longer the mage who was constantly a beacon of hope for his guild. No the person keeping her pinned down right now was an enraged dragon that was ready to strike down anyone that threatened his mate like she just insinuated seconds ago. And it was only made more terrifying by the silhouette of a mighty red dragon glaring down at her with nothing but contempt.

"You would be correct about that Ares if you're thinking what I think you are thinking. But as I'm sure you're already well aware of there are more than a few ways I could dispose of you without killing Kei in the process. And judging from our earlier discussion you know that I would be capable of doing it once I figured out which way I was going to go about it." he growled out while actually causing her to choke a little. Not letting her go until he was confident that he instilled enough fear into her that she wouldn't be stupid enough to even start looking into it.

And before she knew it he reverted back to his normal self as he let go of her and got up without even looking at her. He was now standing at the edge of the pond with an intense look in his eyes as he clearly started to make plans of how to possibly deal with her in the future. So for the next few minutes they both just remained there without even saying a single word between them, one because he realized he had another thing he needed to start looking into while the other was shocked he reacted like that to her joke.

"I'm sorry for joking around about something like that Salamander." replied Ares in a softer tone than her normal one with her head down. Ashamed about what she just did but also at the same time finding herself even more attracted to the dragon slayer that was capable of actually scaring her like that.

Natsu remained quiet for a few agonizingly long seconds, until he let out another sigh. Something that he realized he almost never did before the Tenrou Group went missing, but that was when he only had to be concerned about taking care of Happy and himself. Unlike right now, where not only did the entire guild rely on him but so did the rest of the country since he was still the main opposition standing between the drakes running wild across Fiore.

"If it was just a poorly thought out joke, then I think I can move on from this as if it never even happened. But I want to make sure you realize that I meant every single word I said back then and have no problems destroying a supposed god if she is dumb enough to make an enemy out of me." he said with a grin that didn't hold any of the warmth that it usually did.

"Thanks Natsu." she whispered more to herself than him.

"Don't mention it Ares, so what else would you like to talk about for the next few hours until I have to return to the guild?" asked Natsu as he sat back down next to her with a slight smile that caught the goddess of war off guard. But she recovered quickly and decided to use this time to learn as much as she could about the dragon slayer as he did the same with her.

 **Three hours later at the Fairy Tail Guild Hall:**

"So how did it go Master?" asked Kagura since she was one of the few members to actually know what he and Kei were up to for the last few hours.

"Better than I actually anticipated, it didn't result in a fight breaking out between the two of us so there is at least that. So where is everyone else right now Kagura?" asked Natsu as he sat down in his usual spot at the bar. Natsu taking notice that Kagura was the only one present at the guild from their household, along with most of the other members being absent as well. And the strangest part of it all was the lack of sound coming from the training area behind the guild that usually had at least three people using it whenever the guild was open.

Kagura set down the glass that she was cleaning while still behind the bar since she sensed that this could end up being a long conversation. "Most of the members are out taking as many jobs as they can handle so they'll have enough jewels for next month." she replied with a smile as Natsu put a cigar into his mouth with a slightly confused look on his face.

"What in the world do they need jewels for in a month." he asked only for Kagura to smack her face at him forgetting something like this.

"I don't know, something a few people call the Grand Magic Games." she stated, now shaking her head as he chuckled at already forgetting about something he considered pointless and a waste of time. But then he recalled what he noticed last year and decided that he needed to check out if it was happening again this year. And if so, then he needed to find out who was behind it and why.

"Man I completely forgot about those things coming up again, but why do they need jewels for it?" he asked, now wondering who he should include in his investigation this time if any. Because he honestly would have included Ultear, but considering that she will be just a month away from her expected date around that time she would be out and will probably just remain at home for obvious reasons.

"So they can buy things while we're there of course, also everything there is more expensive than it is here." she explained.

"Makes sense, so what about everyone else that isn't out on a job?" he asked knowing that there was no way all of them were currently doing jobs right now.

"Meredy and Liza are with Ultear at the house while the two little trouble makers are out training like usual. Cobra is off doing a job and you are the one that actually knows where Kei is at right now." she replied.

"She went back to the house to get some rest since our little chat took a lot out of her. So what about the rest?" he asked, and for the next few minutes Kagura told him what everyone else was up to the last time she was informed. "Wait a minute, what in the world are you doing behind the bar and where is Kinana?" he asked now looking around the guild hall for the barmaid.

"Right before you entered she asked if I could the watch the bar for a bit. Actually now that you mention it she has been gone for a while now, maybe I should go and see what's taking her so long." answered Kagura now having a look of concern on her face as she looked to the basement where the barmaid was last seen going.

"You keep watch here and I'll go see what's up." stated Natsu as he put in a new cigar in his mouth and headed towards the basement.

"Thanks Master." she said right before he entered the stairway and was then gone with a little wave of acknowledgement. A small smile made its way across her face knowing that if anything was in fact wrong with the barmaid that he would easily be able to handle it like he always does.

As soon as he entered the basement he realized that Kinana was clearly upset about something from the scent of fresh tears in the air that was also accompanied with quiet sobs. And just like any other time Natsu found one of his fellow guild members crying he decided that he was going to stay with them until they could smile and even laugh with him again.

"Kinana what's wrong?" he asked in a hushed tone after quietly coming up to her.

At hearing his voice she flinched and even started to back away from him. "It's nothing Master Dragneel, just please let me be alone." she replied in between the sobs she was trying to now hold back.

"It really doesn't look like nothing Kinana and I sure as hell would never leave a friend to cry by themselves." he said while taking another step towards her. Glad to see that she was no longer taking a step away from him now, but he wasn't thrilled to notice that she still wouldn't look at him in the eyes right now.

So for the next two minutes the two just stood there as she continued to quietly sob, while Natsu knew that he needed to wait for her to recompose herself a little bit before he could do anything. "How… How could you… Please tell me how you could do it Master Dragneel?" she asked no longer trying to hold back her tears as she rounded on him. Now glaring at him as her voice became a shout at the end of her little outburst, with her only getting more and more angry at him as he looked back at her with a concerned look.

"Sorry Kinana but you're going to have to be a little more specific than that." he stated in a tone that oozed concern since he has never seen her like this before.

She could tell that he had no idea what she was talking about since it was a distant past to him and was only concerned about the right here and now. That just so happened to be her, which only made her feel worse about what she had done to him and the rest of the guild. "How can you forgive me so easily?" she asked with her head down as a new batch of fresh tears came streaming down her cheeks. "After everything I did to you, you somehow instantly accepted me into your family like it was nothing." she finished with a choked sob, only to be brought into a warm and caring embrace.

"I take it that all of your past memories have returned." Natsu stated more than asked, which she confirmed with a quick nod into his chest as she finally melted into his hug. He made sure to keep the hug going until she calmed down some more, so for the next five minutes he did his best to comfort her, something that he was actually pretty good at.

"And why wouldn't I accept you?" he asked once he was sure that she could actually converse with him.

"Because I almost helped kill you and Happy, not to mention almost costing Erza her arm." replied Kinana as she wiped away the last of her tears.

"But neither of those two things happened and also that was the old you. The Kinana that I know now would do anything for her friends without even thinking twice about it, something that we share in common." he said while giving her one of his usual grins.

"But…" she started with a sad expression.

"But nothing Kinana, that was the old you who was cursed by some asshole to remain as nothing but a snake. And unfortunately your only friend at that time was Cobra, who unfortunately was led down the wrong path by Brain. Because just like you I can tell that the Eric we see each and every day now is the real deal." he stated in his master's tone at the beginning, which then turned into a softer one at the end.

"Do you really mean that?" she asked while looking directly into his onyx eyes.

"Yes I do Kinana, and if I didn't you know how I treat those I see as possible threats to the guild. Something that you two will never become again since Fairy Tail is now both of your homes and family." he answered while looking back into her green eyes that now started to tear up again.

But unlike the last few times they did this, this time it was because of pure joy and happiness at finding a place that truly accepted her for all her past faults. "Thank you Natsu." she said as she reinitiated the hug from before, which he reciprocated with a happy grin coming over his face.

"Anytime Kinana and that also includes helping with your magic if you have any questions." he stated, shocked that she became eerily quiet after hearing that last part.

"I have magic?" she asked in just a whisper.

"Yes you do, and if you want to have some help with it I'd be more than happy to help you in any way that I can. I'm also pretty sure that Eric would also be more than willing to help you." he answered with a little grin as a small blush came over her face at the mention of the poison dragon slayer.

"I think I'll have to take you up on that offer, but could we keep this a secret from him for a little bit." she replied with a nervous smile.

"Sure, but you do realize that sooner or later he'll find out about this and what we're up to. Not to brag or anything but our noses can pick up when people just start spending more time with other people than they usual do." stated Natsu with a proud smirk.

"I know that, I just wanted to surprise him with this." she said as she started to dust herself off and make sure she looked presentable.

"Fine since this is all completely up to you, so when do you want to start training?" he asked her with his signature grin.

"I would like to start as soon as possible if that would be alright, and do you have any idea what type of magic I might have?" she asked him back with an excited smile.

"You can actually learn whatever type of magic you want to, but some of them will come easier to you then others. Those are the ones that you have a natural affinity to, for me it's apparently fire and smoke. As for you I'd have to guess that it would be poison related." he explained, noticing that her smile grew even bigger at the possibility of learning a magic similar to Eric's.

"Do you really think so?" she asked him while trying to hide her excitement at that.

"Yep, but that's just going off the fact that you used to use poison before. So don't get upset if it is harder to learn than you expected." he stated, wanting to make sure that she didn't get her hopes to high on that specific magic.

"Thank you so much Natsu, I mean Master Dragneel." she said while giving him another hug.

"No problems Kinana and isn't this what a guild master is supposed to do?" he asked with a slight smirk.

"Yes it is, but even if you weren't the guild master I'm sure you would have done the same thing. And that is why everyone knew you would make a good guild master." answered Kinana with a bright smile.

"I'm only just holding the position until gramps gets back, this whole being responsible thing just isn't me. So what do you think about starting your training tonight after I finish my paperwork for the day?" asked Natsu as he started to head towards the stairs.

"That sounds great Master Dragneel." she replied as she followed after him. "You might not want to admit it Natsu but you will never be able to go back to how you once were. This is who you were destined to one day become, someone that the rest of the guild and the country for that matter can look to for guidance. Not only that but also as an example of what all mages should try and emulate." she thought to herself with a little smirk gracing her lips.

 **End of Chapter**

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Well there you have it my devoted readers who have stuck it out with me this far, that will be the second to last chapter for the year of X787. Now I was going to have it be the last one but then I realized that would mean skipping the birth scene, which I'm pretty sure a few of you might get mad at. But that doesn't mean the next chapter might not have it where I advance onto the next year and get that year rolling. Anyways I guess that's all I have to say here as of right now so as always feel free to leave me a review or pm and I'll try and get back to you as soon as possible.**

 **Oh and if you would like me to update faster or possibly start a new story I have information about that on my profile page.**

 **Until the next Chapter**

 **Digem Out!**


	28. New Addition to the Family

Ch 28: New Additions to the Family

 **May 5th X787, three months earlier up in the guild's infirmary:**

Currently the only occupants in this room were luckily just two women, who were only there to check on the new life that one of them was currently bringing into the world with the help of Natsu Dragneel. This was none other than Ultear Dragneel, who at the moment was laying in one of the beds with her large belly exposed while a pink haired woman was moving a lacrima powered device over it. This device allowed the pink haired woman, Porlyusica the unofficial healer of the guild, to get images of what the current status of Ultear's pregnancy was and how well the baby was doing.

Normally Porlyusica would have flat out refused to do something so routine and normal that any other physician could have done, but after the continuous begging of a certain pink haired guild Master she finally caved. But it was under the one condition that Natsu not be present for it since he would be scouring the countryside for a long list of herds and other ingredients the intimidating healer needed for her potions. Ultear was surprisingly okay with this since Natsu had recently become a little stressed out about having a kid and couldn't stop worrying about all the what ifs that came along with having a kid. Something that Ultear was all too familiar with, and didn't need him making her more worried about what could possibly go wrong.

And unfortunately at this very moment she was going through all of them all over again, because the pink headed healer was currently even quiet for her own standards. This of course caused Ultear to start thinking that something was definitely wrong with the baby and making her regret that she agreed that it was okay for Natsu to not be here with her. Because even if he might be stressing out a little, this was one of the times that she knew he would easily be counted on to calm her down with just a few words and a tender hug. But that wasn't going to happen since he was god only knows where, gathering something that could very easily save one of their guild members later on.

"Please at least say something!" begged Ultear, no longer being able to handle the silence that was allowing her to come up with the some of the worst cases scenarios possible in her head.

"Sorry, I got lost in what I was doing." replied Porlyusica in a surprisingly tender tone as she continued to look at the screen Ultear couldn't see from her spot on the bed.

"Could you possibly tell me how the baby is?" she asked, knowing that the woman currently with her was someone of very few words.

"I could, but that wouldn't be completely correct." said Porlyusica as she locked eyes with the now terrified expecting woman. "Calm down, what I meant by that is, actually it would just be easier if I just showed you." she finished while twisting the screen so her patient could see it.

"Sorry but I honestly don't know what I'm really looking at." replied Ultear as she squinted at the screen trying to make sense of it.

"Here, you see this little area right over here." asked the healer as she pointed at the screen with her finger and got a nod from Ultear. "Well that young lady is what a healthy baby looks like at your current stage of pregnancy." she finished and saw a look of relief of wash over Ultear's face. Only for it to then turn to one of anger as she glared back up at her.

"Then why the hell did you just say that telling me my baby is healthy would be correct?" asked Ultear as she glared at the woman.

"I didn't say that because of this area." she replied with a tender smile as Ultear finally looked at the new spot the healer was pointing out to her. It took a few seconds for Ultear to then have a look of complete disbelief come over her face, which only grew as Porlyusica moved her finger again.

"No way!" she stated, not believing what she was just shown.

"That's why I was extremely focused and making sure that everything was fine with you." replied Porlyusica as she went back to inspecting Ultear's large belly with the device.

"How is that even possible?" she asked, still with a stunned expression on her face.

"The same way that it's possible for it to happen to anyone else in the world, but I'm guessing that others will tell you it's fate. Or that because of who you are and because of who he is as well that something like this would happen, but that has little to nothing to do with this." stated Porlyusica as she was content with her checkup of the time mage and started to put her things away.

"Does this raise the chances of something possibly going wrong?" she asked once again going back to a worried state.

"Yes it does, which is why I want to have regular checkups with you at least once every two weeks." replied Porlyusica as she looked back at the woman with a supportive smile. "So when are you going to tell him about this?" she asked, expecting Ultear to have a look of relief come over her face at the mention of the dragon slayer. But instead of that happening all she saw from the woman was her becoming more terrified and unsure of herself at each passing moment.

"I don't know, I don't want to tell him if something bad happens since all I would have done is gotten his hopes up." replied Ultear in a voice just above a whisper.

"Ultear you do know that Natsu would never be disappointed with you or blame you for something that you don't have any control over." she stated, hoping to make Ultear realize that what she just told her was the truth.

"I know that you're right, but I still don't think I could handle seeing him going through the heartache if something does go wrong." said Ultear in a slightly louder voice. "So until we know that nothing is going to go wrong during my pregnancy, neither of us are going to tell Natsu anything about this." she finished with a stern glare directed at Prolyusica.

"Idiot, you do realize that he won't be able to help you with any of this if you don't let him in on it." she stated while not flinching in the slightest at the glare she was receiving.

"Of course I do, but that is better than possibly getting his hopes up for something that could very well become one of the worst moments in his life." replied Ultear, who the healer could tell wasn't going to change her mind on this subject despite whatever she might tell her.

"It could also be the best moment of his life as well." she pointed out, seeing Ultear contemplate it for a few seconds to only remain firm on her earlier decision. The two remained silent for a few more minutes as Porlyusica packed up all of the gear that she brought with her and started to head to the door.

"Can I ask you a quick question Porlyusica?" asked Ultear as she looked at the back of the older woman, who gave out a tired sigh before turning back to her.

"Seeing as I'm already here, why not." replied the healer in her normal cranky tone that she hadn't used on her patient until just now.

"Why did you agree to do this, because from what I heard from the rest of the guild you only come here when it's pretty much a matter of life and death?" she asked with a questioning look directed at her elder.

"Because that damn husband of yours is too persistent and stubborn for his own good." replied Porlyusica as she shook her head at the memory of him coming to her house twice a day asking for her to do this for at least a week.

"If it was anyone else that would be a reasonable answer, and sorry for being so blunt with you, but you're notorious for hating humans and trying to distance yourself from them at all costs. So why are you doing all of this for Natsu and me?" she asked while getting up from the bed and walking over to the healer.

"What can I say, your husband reminds me of my youth while also giving me a little hope in the rest of humanity. Even if he isn't fully human anymore, which is probably why he wanted me to specifically do this checkup." answered the healer, mumbling the last part just barely loud enough for Ultear to hear her.

"He isn't fully human anymore?" asked Ultear in shock, wondering if this was one of the reasons for Natsu's sudden worry about her pregnancy.

"You already knew that." she said back in an upset tone, mainly because she let that last part slip out when she should have kept it to herself. But after she saw the confused look in Ultear's eyes she let out another sigh and decided to give the woman a better explanation. "As soon as a human becomes a dragon slayer they can no longer be considered just a human any more. It would be more accurate to describe them as a hybrid between the two species, which I'm sure you knew already after witnessing the physical changes that happen to them. All of their senses are heightened, not to mention the increase in strength and durability that have more than once saved that idiot of a husband of ours." she stated with a small smile coming over her face. She knew that if Makarov was here right now, he would be incredibly proud of all that Natsu has accomplished while they were all gone.

Ultear also couldn't help but smile along with Porlyusica, since a part of her did know that dragon slayers weren't just your average mages anymore. But some part of her didn't want to think that it was because they are no longer completely human. "Does this mean our children might also not be fully human either?" she asked still having a slight smile, because if she was told yes it didn't scare her at all. The reason for that was because if they were at all like Natsu because of it, then it would only mean that they would grow into caring and strong individuals that would fight for what they thought was right.

"Honestly I don't know Ultear, which is one of the main reasons that I want to check on you regularly. Because far as I know a dragon slayer has never had a child before, so we are literally in uncharted territories on this one." answered Porlyusica with a thoughtful look that once again turned to a soft smile that Ultear didn't expect to see from her again so soon. "But that isn't any reason for you to get worked up about, I will personally do everything that I can to help you through this since you're choosing to keep him in the dark about it for now." she said before quickly turning around and finally making her exit.

"Thank you." mumbled Ultear before she made sure she was presentable and headed back down to the guild and behind the bar to help out.

 **August 25th X787 at the Dragneel household late at night:**

"Why can't I get to sleep?" Natsu hissed out angrily as he turned once again in his bed. But this time he was met with Ultear smiling at him, which brought him a smile and calmed him down a little as he admired her beauty and how lucky he was to have her in his life like he did.

"Something on your mind would be my guess." she stated as her smile turned into a smirk.

"There is always something on my mind these days." he replied in his normal voice since he knew she was now just as wide awake as he was.

"I bet that's something you couldn't have said a few years ago." she said in a mirthful tone as he gave her a little glare that caused her to giggle at his childish response. "So what is troubling you so much that you can't get any rest, which you truly need as much as you can get with how much you're trying to accomplish by yourself." she asked as she moved over to him an placed her head on his shoulder.

"You're just going to say I'm blowing things out of proportion again." he mumbled while turning away from her, once again causing her to let out a little giggle.

"Natsu I only said that last time because you were claiming the crib that we were looking at was a death trap." she said while trying to find a comfortable position, which was really hard for her to do since she was over seven months pregnant at the moment.

"It was, it didn't have any sort of protection against any type of magic for crying out loud. I thought that they should all at least be resistant to fire since that is something that can happen to any household." he responded in a slightly defensive tone.

"As I told you before, those are things that we're going to have to do on our own since most parents aren't fire mages like you. Now why don't you tell me what seems to be bothering you tonight my little worry wort?" she asked him while playfully poking his cheek.

"Fine, but stop that first please." he said with a little chuckle as he grabbed her hand that was going in for another poke. "I'm worried about the baby again." he finished with a tired sigh and his face becoming one of someone truly concerned.

"For the last time Natsu everything is fine with the baby." she said while finishing it with a tender kiss that eased away some of his worry.

"If that's the case then why can't I ever be there with you when Porlyusica takes a look at you and the baby?" he asked with stern look, probably because every other time he asked his wife this question she somehow danced around it until he was required elsewhere.

Ultear knew that he was eventually going to ask her this question when she couldn't dodge it, but luckily she had come up with what she thought was a reasonable excuse. "The reason why you can't be there is because you would then figure out the gender. And I thought it would be nice for that to still be a surprise for you at least since Porlyusica felt the need to tell me the gender as soon as she could tell." she answered, watching all the little facial expressions he made as he thought over her reason.

"Why don't you just tell her to not tell me the gender on your next visit?" he asked with a questioning look directed at her.

"Sorry darling, but just look at me, I am at the point that even you could tell the gender by looking at the screen." she said while placing one of his hands on her huge stomach that seemed to just keep getting bigger each day.

Natsu couldn't help but have a huge smile spread across his face every time he felt her stomach like this, since he would quite frequently feel a little kick that at least in his mind meant their child was strong and healthy inside there. "Fine, but I really think it's unfair for you to know the gender of our child while I don't." he said in mock tone of hurt.

"Unfair you say! I'll tell you what is unfair idiot, what is unfair is that I'm going to have to give birth and experience the worst pain possible for a woman! While you being the stupid jerk that you are will just sit there twiddling your thumbs!" hissed out Ultear as she glared at him. Only for him to bring her into a warm and carrying hug that had the calming affect that she so desperately needed at the moment.

"Sorry Ul, I was an idiot for not realizing what you're doing for me and what you'll have to go through for it. So I'm more than happy to wait and find out if we have a boy or girl if that's what you want me to do, because you mean the world to me." he said tenderly in a very soothing voice that he's gotten really good with during her pregnancy.

"How did I get so lucky to have such a kind and caring husband like you?" she asked while looking into his onyx eyes lovingly.

"Simple, you saved me from certain death and ever since then you and I have pretty much been inseparable. Also it didn't hurt that you are one of the strongest women I've ever known which I find really attractive, and of course you are definitely one of the prettiest women in the whole world too." he answered right before bringing her into another loving kiss that lasted significantly longer than the rest.

"Who knew you could be such a sweet talker." she stated with a smirk as they separated for air, and because Natsu was concerned about possibly hurting the baby if he got carried away. Something that she assured him wouldn't happen, but him being the stubborn idiot that he is would always stop before they ever got to the main event.

"I'm only stating the truth." he replied with a smirk, causing Ultear to initiate another passionate kiss that was stopped by Natsu all of a sudden. And before she could ask him why he stopped he gently covered her lips with a single finger as he looked like he was straining to hear something. This of course slightly concerned her since his ears where extremely good, so whatever he thought he might have heard must have been really quiet or far away.

"I guess it was just my imagination." he replied while laying back down with her, since she decided to lay down after a minute of him trying to hear something that she knew she couldn't.

"What did you think you heard?" asked Ultear knowing that he didn't react like this to just any random noise.

"I thought I heard a whimper from Meredy and Liza's room." he stated while looking at her with concern clearly written all over his face.

"It was probably just a nightmare Natsu, so hopefully it will pass because unfortunately not even you can fix that." she stated, only to regret that last comment since it was pretty much a declaration that he would of course try to beat. And judging from the determined look he now had on his face it looked like he might actually try, but luckily for her it seemed like whatever idea he had wouldn't even work for someone as optimistic and determined as him.

"I just hope it's not about her old town and what eventually brought her to us." he said with a frown, since even he still had those ghastly images burned into his mind and he wasn't even from there, unlike Liza.

"If it is, all we can really do is keep loving her like we are and hope that with time she'll not be haunted by it anymore." she replied also having a frown, since she knew first hand with Meredy how long something like that can take to heal. And in some cases she knew that might never heal, because something like losing all of your family and friends isn't something you can always get over.

"Why is the world so unfair?" asked Natsu as he thought about all the terrible things that happen to good people. While on the other hand criminals and scum that only did terrible things sometimes seem to have everything going their way.

"It just is." she replied, knowing that it was a rhetorical question that he didn't expect her to answer. And unfortunately for her she could see that he was once again in his own head worrying about something that might keep him up for the rest of the night that was getting smaller and smaller as they lay awake together.

"Something on your mind again?" she asked, hoping that he would actually share his thoughts with her again without her having to pry any harder.

"Just concerned about the baby again." he stated in a glum tone.

"What about the baby are worried about exactly?" she asked since she thought they were already over this.

"What if it is deformed or isn't normal because of me?" he asked now looking at her with scared eyes, telling her that he truly believed that he might be responsible for something like that.

"First off I know our children won't be normal because of you." she started and could see that he wanted to speak but she cut him off before he could. "And what I mean by that Natsu is they are going to be like you in regards with how they view and interact with the rest of the world. They'll probably be hyperactive and constantly getting into trouble, but I also know that they will be caring and compassionate people who always see the best in everyone else even if no one else does." she explained with a stern but loving look directed at him.

"That would be great, but that wasn't what I was talking about Ul. What if because of me they come out with tails or wings or something else that doesn't belong on a normal baby? All because of me being a dragon slayer and no longer just a human anymore." he replied with an uncertain tone that was seldom heard from him these days.

"That won't happen." she stated and once again cut him off before he could protest. "And if it does happen then we will love them all the same, no matter what they might look like. I know that we will both love them because they are ours." finished Ultear in a loving and extremely confident voice that brought a smile to Natsu's face.

"The real question we should be asking right now is how I was so lucky to get a woman so clearly out of my league?" he asked, causing her to lightly hit him for thinking he didn't deserve her as he chuckled. Both of them knowing that neither of them would be the people they were right now if the other one wasn't always there for them when they really needed it.

"You just got lucky I guess." she answered while they both got into a comfortable position ready to call it a night.

"That I did, that I did." he stated with a content smile spreading across his face as he closed his eyes no longer worrying about what might be when he currently has some many good things going for him right now.

"Goodnight Natsu." she murmured while nestling against him with her head on his chest.

"Goodnight Ul." he said while wrapping his arms around her. And right before he was about to drift off to sleep he heard the dreaded sounds of someone whimpering inside Meredy and Liza's room like he though he heard earlier. But this time it continued on and sounded like whoever was the source was trying really hard to be quiet about it.

He tried to get out of bed without disturbing Ultear, which was pretty much impossible with her resting her head on him. "What's wrong Natsu?" she asked while slowly opening her eyes and looking at him as he got off of their bed.

"I think I can hear hear Liza trying to cry herself to sleep." he replied while slipping on a pair of sweatpants.

"I can get this one, you just come back and try to get some sleep." she said while trying to get out of bed but was having a little trouble with it.

"No I got this one, and you're the one that shouldn't be working so hard." he said to her while giving her a grin before ducking out before she could protest and win the dispute like she usually does.

As he got right outside of his two daughters shared room, his suspicions of it being Liza was confirmed now that he could clearly hear her softly crying under her bedcovers. Knowing that Meredy was most likely still asleep he slipped into their room barely making a sound hoping to not disturbed the other occupant. And the sight that he saw made it feel as if his heart might actually break, because curled up into as small of a ball as she could possibly make herself was Liza. Wrapped in her blankets hoping that they would muffle her sobs so that he couldn't hear her and possibly cause him to lose more sleep than she already knew he was.

"Liza what's wrong honey?" he asked as he took a seat on her bed, slightly surprising the girl with his sudden appearance that she didn't detect until now.

"Nothing." came the muffled reply as she turned away from him trying to not cry.

"Come on, I know something is wrong otherwise you wouldn't be crying like this." he said in soft and caring tone. Natsu wanted nothing more than to bring his little girl in for a hug and hold her until she felt better, but something told him that this was something more than just a normal nightmare. And because of that feeling he decided that he needed to talk with her and figure out why she was so upset.

"I'm not crying." replied Liza in between a few little sobs.

"There's nothing wrong with sheading a few tears every now and then." he stated in the same tone as before as he watched her slowly remove the covers from her face. Allowing him to see her tear stained face and puff eyes as she looked back up at him only to start openly crying as he brought her into a loving hug. A hug that lasted for a few minutes as he slowly got her to calm down to where he believed they could actually talk with each other again.

"So what can I do to help my special little girl." he replied, but was shocked to see her almost be reduced to tears after he said that. "Easy there honey, you might need to tell your idiotic daddy what's going on before he makes a bigger mess out of all of this." he said with one of his signature grins that always seemed to brighten her mood, even in cases like this.

"You're not an idiot. I'm just scared." she said only to trail off at the end.

"Scared of what Liza? And just so you know, everyone is scared of something, but what you do with that fear is one of the things that helps define who you are and become stronger." he stated while moving both of them into a better sitting position with her now on his lap.

"Really, even someone like you?' she asked while rubbing her puffy eyes to get rid of the few remaining tears.

"Yep, I probably am scared of more things than you are." he answered her with another toothy grin.

"Like what?" she asked now really curious at what could possibly scare her daddy, one of the strongest person she's ever known.

"Well your mom of course, but that is only when she's angry at me or is up to one of her little schemes." answered Natsu with a little chuckle.

"You're not actually scared of her, you two love each other a lot." she declared while giving him a cute little glare that wasn't meant to be cute at all.

"I guess you got me there, hmmm I guess my biggest fear is not being strong enough." he replied after thinking for a few seconds in the middle.

"But you're super strong already." she stated with a confused look as she wiped her nose quickly.

"Maybe, but even now I don't know if I'll be able to protect you and the rest of the guild from the next thing that is trying to destroy us. Be it another drake attack or a dark guild wanting to remove Fairy Tail off of the map once and for all." he explained only to be caught off guard by receiving a surprisingly strong hug from the girl in his lap.

"Don't worry daddy, I know you'll be able to protect everyone." she said while tears once again started to flow from her closed eyes.

"Thanks honey. That really means a lot to me that you believe in me so much." he replied while returning the hug. "Now how about you tell me what has got you so scared tonight." he said while looking down into the head of silver hair as she buried her face into his chest.

"I don't want to lose it all again." she said while breaking down into another fit of tears. Once again Natsu did his best to calm her down, while also trying to figure out what she thought she was going to be losing.

"Sorry, but daddy doesn't know exactly what you think you're going to be losing again." he stated as she was trying to get rid of the last of her sniffles by rubbing her nose on him. But hearing him caused her to stop and look up at him with big sad eyes that somehow looked like they were once again ready to shed more tears.

"You and everyone else, I don't want to be replaced." she cried out as she once again couldn't hold back her tears. And just like every other time since Natsu showed up in her room she was brought into a loving hug, but unlike the last few times. This time he finally knew why she was crying and so he finally could help her realize that her current fears would never happen.

"Shhh, it's okay Liza. But I need you to know that is never going to happen to you. You will always be my special little girl that I would do anything to make sure that you're happy and healthy." he said, glad to see a look of relief come over the sad and tear soaked face of his daughter. "And yes, soon there is going to be a new member of our little family. But all that means is that your mother and I will have just another person to share our love with, it won't affect how much we love you. If anything it will only cause us to love you more since you're already such a well behaved and responsible young lady." he said with a smile as he tussled her sliver locks, only for her to start hugging him again.

"Thank you so much." she mumbled into his chest as tears of joy were now coming from her.

"Anytime, because like I said before Liza, you're always going to be my special little girl whether you like it or not." he said with a little chuckle.

"And I'll always love hearing that." she replied finally giving him her own toothy smile that he loved seeing her make.

"That's my girl, also you're forgetting that promise I made with you a little while ago." he stated, only to see her have a slightly confused look on her face. "The promise that I wasn't going to be leaving you or anyone else anytime soon." he said, as a flash of recognition flashed across her face and she nodded her head in agreement.

"And you always keep your promise." she stated while looking back up, clearly wanting him to confirm it for her.

"Yep, so why don't we head back to mommy and daddy's room and get some sleep before that darn sun rises?" he asked while he grinned down at her, and got a nod of conformation from her. So picking her up he headed towards the door, but as he walked there he noticed a huge grin on the face of the other person in the room that the two of them completely forgot about during their little discussion. He had the strange feeling that she might have listened in on most of it, but he decided that right now he and Liza both needed to get some rest while they still could so he left without saying anything to her.

 **October 11th X787 about a month and two weeks later:**

During that short amount of time Fairy Tail surprisingly was pretty calm and didn't have anything really big going on, well that is if you exclude them winning the Grand Magic Games once again. This time it wasn't by a complete landslide like the first games, but that doesn't mean they didn't take first place by a significant lead like they did. And because of how Fairy Tail won them last time, this year there was a new rule all thanks to a certain pink haired dragon slayer who just so happened to somewhat force them to announce another new rule at the end for the upcoming games next year.

The new rule that all guilds had to follow was that any member in a participating guild could only compete in one scheduled fight and also one scheduled event. Unless of course, there was something special that the organizers had planned which just so happened to occur like it did this year. It was pretty much the same event as last year's finally, but instead of it being the final event it happened on day two and each guild could only pick two participants which could include someone that has already competed in an event and a fight. Of course Natsu had already done both of those and also decided to compete in this event also, not because he was afraid of Fairy Tail possibly losing. But because he had gotten a call earlier that day about Ultear possibly going into labor and wanting him back as fast as possible.

Unfortunately for the opposing participants that meant he wasn't going to mess around in the slightest, and boy did he not hold back. It was a pretty much a one sided massacre with Natsu hunting them down and making sure that after he took them out they would stay out since, this time if they regained consciousness they could reenter the fight if they wanted to. After the crowd and people running these games saw how easily Natsu destroyed all of his opponents in anything he competed in for the second year in a row, and this year not really toying around since he was concerned about his wife and wanted to be out of there as soon as possible. They decided that after this year Guild Masters would no longer be able to compete in any of the games since they obviously out classed most mages that would compete in them. Some citizens took notice that most of these new rules seemed to hurt Fairy Tail more than the other guilds, but it could also be seen as them making sure that next year's games would be more entertaining.

The whole country was also relieved to see nowhere near as much hostility between Fairy Tail and Sabretooth this year. But that did by no means mean there still wasn't any animosity between the two guilds that most citizens now believed was just a good dose of healthy rivalry. Most of this could probably be attributed to Natsu having his mind elsewhere, and not giving two shits about Jiemma as long as he wasn't being cruel to anyone that he found out about. The other reason definitely contributing to them no longer being at each other throats was Jiemma not watching the games in public after the open ceremony for unknown reasons. Fairy Tail also noticed that Natsu would occasionally go missing for a few hours and when they asked where he was he would only say that he was walking around the city trying to clear his thoughts.

As for the whole thing about Ultear going into labor, that was confirmed to just be a false alarm when Natsu and a few other members were already on a train back. So once they got back to Magnolia most of them went back to Crocus to support their members that were going to participate in the last day. Natsu decided that he wasn't needed there anymore and that he should remain with Ultear just in case she needed him again. Of course no one could blame him for this since most of them would do the same thing if they were in his shoes, which takes us to two weeks later. The Master of Fairy Tail could now be seen passing back and forth in front of their infirmary looking as if he hadn't gotten any sleep for the last week.

"Calm down Natsu, your pacing back and forth isn't going to help her." stated Macao in a knowing tone, being one of the few people in the guild that knew what it was like to be him right now.

"I know that, but I can't just sit there pretending like nothing is going on." he snapped back at his fellow fire mage. Who didn't take any offense since anyone would be a little quick to anger after their wife has been in labor for the past twelve hours.

"We're just trying to help Natsu, we've both been where you are right now." said Alzack with a smile, that was lost once Natsu turned back to him with a fearsome glare.

"No you two haven't! Yes you've both had kids, but neither of you were for some unknown reason not allowed to be with your wife. Not only that but I'm fairly sure that they also didn't put up runes so you couldn't tell what's going on as you are left to only think of the worst possible outcomes." he shouted out, not caring if Alzack didn't deserve his anger right now. All he cared about at the moment was finding out how Ultear was doing in there and if their child was fine and healthy like hoped it would be.

"You're right Natsu; neither of us were in your exact position. But we both know what you're thinking about right now since every father goes through the same thing. So I would like to remind you that literally the best physician and healer in all of Fiore is in there with your wife right now, and she also has the help of best staff she could pick out of Magnolia Hospital." said Macao, glad that the rest of the guild decided to give their Master some space today so he didn't snap at any of them. It also didn't hurt that the rest of the residents at the Dragneel's place decided to make it crystal clear to all of the members that didn't know what was going on right now that the Guild was closed down until they told them otherwise.

"I know and I'm sorry for snapping at the two of you when you're only just trying to help me. But I honestly can't take any more of this waiting, all I can think about is that something must have gone wrong." he replied while finally coming to a stop and slumping in a chair they brought out for him hours ago.

"It's going to be all right Natsu, like Macao said. Porlyusica is in there and she isn't going to let anything bad happen while she's around." stated Alzack as he put a comforting hand on the dragon slayer's shoulder. He was just now realizing how hard this must be on him, since he couldn't even listen in and get at least some sort of idea of what is going on in there like most dads do if they don't watch the actual birth.

"But what if it isn't, what if something goes wrong and…" started Natsu not being able to vocalize his greatest fears, not that he really needed to since the two with him knew what he was trying to say.

"I know that it's hard but you need to try to not think like that, once you start thinking like that it's going to be the only thing that you can think about for a long time." said Macao as he took a seat next to his Master that now had his head in his hand with his elbows resting on his knees.

"Tell me about it…" he chuckled out sadly. "I don't think I could go on if I lost either of them." he finished in a shockingly calm and serious tone. A tone that by itself would have scared the two with him right now, but it being paired with what he just said caused both men to really question if this whole keeping him in the dark was the correct decision.

But before either of them could reply to his last comment the door to the infirmary started to open and Natsu was now in front of it in the blink of an eye. If it had been anyone other than Porlyusica, the woman now standing in front of the door separating him from his wife, he most likely would have pushed them down so that he could get to Ultear and make sure that she was all right. "Where do you think you're going?" she asked the dragon slayer while glaring at him.

"To see my wife for crying out loud so let me in." he growled out as he glared right back at the lady as his magic started to rise. Porlyusica couldn't help but feel proud in the young man wanting nothing more than to be with his wife and child right now, but unfortunately that would have to wait just a little longer.

"Sorry Natsu, but I can't allow you to do that." she stated, only for an immense wave of heat to hit her. Along with a surge of magic that actually caused her to stagger backwards slightly at the sheer amount that this one man was giving off right in front of her.

"And why the hell not?" he asked while his two forms of dragon slaying magic swirled around him, just begging to be set loose and destroy anything preventing him from seeing his mate.

"Because they need to rest right now." she said back, hoping that he would see reason and that she was only keeping him out for his family's wellbeing.

"Did you just say they?" he asked while the over bearing pressure of his magic lessened ever so slightly.

"Yes I did Natsu, everything went fine and you're now a father. Well actually the more politically correct thing to say would be that you're still a father and your family just got bigger." she replied with a smile as his magic vanished and she was brought into a hug before she could stop him. And this wasn't just a quick hug, no it was one where the recipient was picked up off of the ground and twirled around due to the other person being so happy at what they just found out.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" he cheered while still twirling her around, not noticing the progressively more and more upset look he was receiving from the pink haired healer. That is until the woman had enough and flicked him hard in one of his eyes, getting the desired effect of him finally releasing her.

"If you were anyone else I would beat you until you couldn't move for doing something like that." she reprimanded him as he clutched his eye and a grin slowly made its way across his face. "But considering the circumstances I'm going to let it slide as long as you do as I say, which is wait out here until I come and get you to see them." she said as a faint smile of her own slowly formed on her face, while she looked at him now grinning at her like an idiot while holding his eye.

"That sounds fair, and is my one eye playing tricks on me or is that an actual smile?" he asked only for her to try and flick him in his other eye, which he dodged this time while chuckling.

"No it isn't you insufferable brat!" declared Porlyusica as she glared at him and tried to hit him again, but failed miserably.

"Yes it is Porlyusica, and I knew that you'd eventually warm up to me. I might even go so far as to say we're close friends now." he stated with a huge grin as the elderly let out a huff and turned away from him.

"Just for that you have to wait another hour." she said while opening the door to the infirmary.

"Worth it." he replied still grinning like a mad man as she went through the door way and closed it behind her.

"Was that really wise Natsu?" asked Alzack, who just like the rest of the guild was scared of upsetting the guild's healer for good reasons.

"Of course it was, now that I know everything is fine I can wait as long as I need to." he said while getting out a really expensive looking cigar and lighting it with his lighter. Only to then pull out two more and offer them to the two men that stuck with him through the whole night as he freaked out.

"Damn Natsu, I didn't know you actually knew what a good cigar was considering you are usually smoking those cheap pieces of shit most of the time." chuckled Macao as he took one and passed the other one to Alzack as Natsu then lighted them with a quick snap of his finger.

"And since when could you do something like that?" asked Alzack as he took a big puff from his now lit cigar.

"Pretty much as soon as Ultear, Meredy and I returned from our scavenger hunt of their old guild's hidden catches scattered across the country. But I never learned how nifty it was until I started to smoke and misplaced my lighter." he answered while going over to the railing and leaning up against it.

"Wakaba would be proud to hear that." said Macao as he and Alzack joined Natsu as they all looked over the guild hall below them.

"I can't believe it's almost been three years already." said Natsu as he imagined the whole Tenrou Group partying down there with everyone else like they used to always do.

"To think that the two of us are now married and have our own kids." stated Alzack as a fond smile spread across his face, wondering how they were all going to react to how much everyone has changed since they went missing.

"They'll all be proud that neither of you let what happened to them stop you from living your life, of course that will probably be after the girls beat the crap out of you two for not waiting until they return to have the weddings and kids. While the guys on the other hand are probably going to want to get into a fight right away to see how much we've actually grown while they were gone." replied Macao with an amused grin as the other two both looked terrified at what the women might do to them.

"You're probably correct about the woman turning on us for that, but I'm fairly confident that Natsu here will be the only one that everyone wants to challenge once they get back." he said while patting the dragon slayer on the back.

"Honestly I don't care if any of that happens, I'll just be glad that they are finally back safe and sound." said Natsu as he moved his cigar to the other side of his mouth.

"Do you have any idea when this day might eventually come?" asked Macao as he let out a large cloud of smoke that slowly billowed up and was surprised it wasn't sucked up into Natsu like he has been doing ever since Ultear got pregnant.

"Unfortunately I still have no idea what they did that day, even after looking through more books than what we have in our library I'm still nowhere closer to finding that out." he answered while letting out a puff of smoke that slowly formed into the Fairy Tail emblem as it rose until it hit the ceiling.

"Well don't work yourself too hard on that man, because like you told us before. Since they are the ones responsible for disappearing, there most likely isn't anything for us to do even if we figure out what they did." stated Alzack knowing that Natsu needed to be reminded that, otherwise who knows what he might do to try and get them back.

"Don't worry Alzack, I have a feeling that the next few months I won't have much time to do anything other than what I have to do for the guild and taking care of my family." he said with a huge smile spreading across his face as he looked at the gun mage. Only for it then to turn to one of shock as the dragon slayer's eyes shot wide open. "Holy crap, don't you need to get back home to Bisca and Asuka?" he asked now feeling awful for keeping the new father away from his family.

This of course caused Alzack and Macao to both break into laughter at him just now realizing that the two of them were still with him and not where they usually are at this time of the day. And it was just like him to be more concerned about them once he was back to his normal mindset and no longer worrying about Ultear and his child. Their sudden laughter confused Natsu, who started to get upset with the two of them as they continued to not pay any attention to his slight scowl.

"Don't worry about it Natsu, Bisca knew that I would most likely not be making it home tonight. And trust me, she would definitely be more upset with me if I left you all by yourself during such a stressful time like this." replied Alzack with a smirk.

"Romeo is probably being held back right now by Sting and Rogue from coming here." said Macao as he shook his head at his stubborn son.

"And why would he be trying to get here so badly?" asked Natsu, confused why a young boy like Romeo would be interested in his child's birth.

"Come on Natsu, you know he looks up to you and wants to learn and do anything that he can with you." stated the fire mage as he took out his cigar and tapped it on the ledge of the railing so the ash would fall.

"I hope he knows I'm not actually that special, and I hope I can be as good of a father as you are." he replied while looking at one of the few fathers he actually knew.

"I'll have to break that to him when he's a little older, and don't worry Natsu. I'm confident you'll be a terrific father, you've already proven that with how well you're taking care of little Liza." stated Macao as he put the cigar back into his mouth that was currently grinning at the dragon slayer.

"I sure hope you're correct about that." he said as the guild doors opened and most of the occupants of his house came storming in.

"So I take it everything went fine." stated Cobra as he didn't even look up at Natsu and headed straight for the bar with Kinana who went about getting it ready while occasionally glancing at the three on the second level.

"That's at least what she told me, but how in the world did all of get her so fast?" asked Natsu as Liza ran to him as fast as she could and was quickly caught in his strong arms and being held by him just like she wanted him to.

"They said they could feel you no longer freaking out." said Liza with a bright smile as Natsu gave her a quick kiss on her forehead.

"Is that right?" he asked with a smile as she happily nodded back to him while the other new guests all had a slight feeling of dread wash over them. Now they were all waiting on pins and needles, wondering how he was going to react to this.

"I think it's time for us to start training again, isn't that right Rogue?" asked Sting as he made a break for the exit.

"Hold it right there Sting." he stated in his master's tone, which brought the fleeing dragon slayer to a screeching halt. "If you two did that then you would both miss out on what I have planned." he said with a grin that made the little group gathered there right now nervous.

"Natsu, I was the one that said you were freaking out." stated Meredy in the hopes of getting everyone else off hook from the possible punishment they might receive that was most likely only going to be a severe round of training.

"Okay I guess." replied Natsu with an eyebrow raised. "But as I was going to say to Sting, if they do that then they're going to miss out on the celebration." he finished with his usual grin spreading across his face as Liza let out a happy little squeal at the announcement of them celebrating. And she wasn't the only one excited to learn that they were only going to be celebrating today, as everyone else let out a sigh of relief together.

"Does that mean we're going to have a cake?" asked Liza with an excited twinkle in her eyes.

"Of course we can, but I think we're going to have to go and pick a few of them out." he replied as his daughter got even more excited at hearing this.

"Can I help pick them out?" she asked excitedly as he started to chuckle at how worked up she got over something as simple as a cake.

"I don't know honey, I need to stay here incase mommy needs me. But if you can find someone else willing to help you go and pick out the cakes I think that would be okay." he stated, and soon as he was finished talking she was already out of his arms and racing back down the stairs to find someone to take her to her favorite bakery in town.

"Nope, I'm not going to pick out cakes." declared Sting before she could even ask him, not knowing that she never had any intention of asking him. Since Liza already knew that the three other women at their home would be more than happy to go with her.

"So what did you have?" asked Cobra, only for Kinana to lightly hit him for asking so bluntly.

"I don't know yet, all I know is that they're fine right now and are resting." replied Natsu with a grin before jumping over the ledge and landing right next to his usual spot at the bar. "And that my friends is one of the best excuses for celebrating that I've ever heard." he said as everyone else could only grin back at him once again being the person that they all knew and loved.

"Master, is it okay if Kei and I go with Liza to get some cakes?" asked Kagura with a big smile, as Liza was telling Kei all about her favorite cake that she wanted to buy every last one that the bakery had so everyone else could try it.

"Of course it is Kagura, and feel free to get whatever you want while you three are out and about. Just put it on my tab." he answered, wondering how he was honestly lucky enough to have so many people that he considered his family. But as soon as he thought that someone appeared in the middle of the guild, whose appearance usually meant that Natsu would have to take off to deal with drakes.

"For crying out loud, can't the bastard have just one freaking day off." grumbled Cobra as he glared at Doranbolt.

"Whoa, I think you might have the reason for my visit all wrong." replied the Council mage as he raised his hands up defensively.

"Don't worry Master Salamander, we've got this one covered for you!" shouted Sting as he and Rogue raced over to Doranbolt.

"For once I agree with the hatchlings, so just sit there and don't worry about us for once." stated Cobra as he got up and headed to Doranbolt, who looked slightly confused at the moment.

"Hold it you three, Doranbolt said that he didn't come here for what you thought he did. So why don't we at least hear him out before you all go charging out of here like idiots." said Natsu as he slipped out another three fancy cigars and lit one that he put into his mouth.

"Thanks Master Dragneel." replied Doranbolt as he then caught a cigar tossed to him. "For the last time Doranbolt you don't need to call me that, especially if you're only here as a friend which is what I assume this is since you don't have the usual signs of an incoming drake attack." stated the fire dragon slayer as he tossed the last cigar to Cobra who caught it and looked at it questioningly.

"You're correct Natsu, I came here since I heard that Ultear is in labor and wanted to see if everything is okay. And offer to help you in any way that I can." said Doranbolt as he started to walk towards Natsu.

"Man does news travel fast, and actually she's past that and is just resting at the moment. And if you want to do something, then how about you taking a seat and having a quick smoke with us as we celebrate." he replied with a grin as he lit both of the two cigars he just passed out.

"Don't mind if do, and you know that anything about you is front page news." stated Doranbolt as he took the stool next to Natsu and put the cigar into his mouth.

"I really need to pay Jason a visit and thank him for doing this to me." he almost growled out. "But honestly I'm still a little surprised about this one getting out since I tried to keep it private." he said with his face once again going back to its usual state of happiness.

"From what Jason told me, apparently someone was keeping everyone away from the guild. And it was overheard between two of your members that it was because of Ultear starting to give birth." said Doranbolt with his own little grin.

"Well we'll be going now Master." Kagura said loudly in a nervous tone as she quickly scooped up Liza and took off out of the guild with Kei chasing after her.

"I think we might have found out who was responsible for that." stated Meredy with a huge grin as they all started to chuckle together at the sword mistress freaking out like she did, which was completely out of character for her.

"That we did, and I'm pretty sure she was just excited about it and it was eventually going to get out sooner or later." said Natsu as he then thought of another thing that made him smile. "So how many members did you turn away today?" he asked while turning to look at Cobra and Meredy.

"I didn't turn anyone away." stated Cobra as he fiddled with the cigar, clearly not a fan of it. Something that Kinana obviously noticed, because she plucked it out of his mouth and tossed it over to Natsu while giving the poison dragon slayer a slight glare.

"That's because your aura alone was more than enough for most people to rethink coming anywhere close to you." the barmaid stated as she stared to pour a line of drinks that she knew would be gone in a matter of seconds.

"I turned away quite a few." said Meredy as she hopped onto the bar and sat on it next to Natsu since the stools next to him were already taken.

"What about you two?" Natsu asked while turning to Sting and Rogue.

"I informed quite a few people as well, that the guild was closed for the day and that they would have to come back tomorrow." replied Rogue as he kept looking up to the infirmary with a slightly confused look.

"Sound and Smell proofing." he stated, causing the younger dragon slayer to nod in understanding.

"I also told a lot of our members that if they wanted to get to the guild that they would have to beat me in a fight. And guess what Master Salamander, none of them did and most of them didn't even try to fight me!" declared Sting with a really proud grin as everyone else could only think that of course he would use this situation to try and fight some of their fellow guild members.

"Well then I think we should let all of them know that it's okay to return here again." he said with a mischievous smile coming across his lips.

"Master Dragneel, as one of your advisors I feel the need to warn you to use caution on whatever you're think of doing." said Macao, knowing full well that it was most likely falling on deaf ears.

"Sting how would you like to go and hunt down all our guild members and tell them the good news?" he asked.

"I would love to, you can count on me Master Salamander!" cheered Sting and took off as fast as he could, which was extremely fast given his form of dragon slaying magic.

"I bet he doesn't even realize that Ultear gave birth and is only telling them that the guild is open." stated Rogue as he shook his head at his partner's rash behavior.

"Don't worry Rogue, everyone else will easily figure it out on their own." said Alzack with a grin like everyone else had.

"So Natsu, what names have you and Ultear picked out?" asked Macao as everyone quickly turned to look at the fire dragon slayer.

"More names than we really needed to if you ask me." he said with a tired sigh as he remembered all of their long discussions about finding the perfect names.

"You two were just trying to make sure that you found the right one. So what are the current top contenders?" asked Alzack, knowing exactly what Natsu meant since he and Bisca went through list after list trying to come up with the correct name for their daughter. But at least in his opinion they never could have come up with a correct name until they finally got to see their daughter.

"I still think we would just know once we saw our child, but overall it wasn't too bad since we were able to rule out a few that we really didn't like. So if it's a boy we were thinking possibly: Anton, Ezra, Milo, Axel an what was that last one?" he asked while scratching his chin. "Oh yeah Asher, and if we have a girl we settled on: Astrid, Ava, Aurora, Octavia and Senara." he finished with a proud grin.

"That really doesn't feel like the two of you narrowed it down at all." stated Macao with a slightly concerned look sent to the dragon slayer.

"You two really liked names that started with A." pointed out Meredy with a big smile, since six of the names he listed off started with A.

"What can I say; we both just thought they sounded good. And didn't you think Romeo was going to be trying to get to the guild Macao, because he still isn't here?" he asked while turning to look at the father.

"Now that you mention it, why isn't he here?" asked Macao as he looked around for his son.

"About that, you two remember how Sting said he would fight anyone that wanted to get to the guild." said Rogue while not being able to look at either of them in the eyes.

"Please don't tell me he actually tried to fight Sting?" he asked with a very concerned look as he grabbed Rogue's shoulders and caused the young dragon slayer to look him in the eyes.

"They did, but Romeo actually did a really good job." replied Rogue with a hopeful smile.

"And you just now decided to tell me that little monster beat up my son and left him out on the streets!" shouted out the now terrified father as he took off out of the guild.

"He didn't get hurt too bad." said Rogue with a frown as he watched the door close behind Macao. "And we took him back home so he could get some rest." he mumbled, but was slightly shocked to feel a reassuring hand pat his shoulder.

"You did great Rogue; those two have wanted to fight each other ever since I started to help Romeo with his training. And Macao is only doing what any dad would when he thinks his kid might be in danger, of course if he just waited for you to finish then he would have realized that nothing was wrong." stated Natsu as he smiled down at one of his apprentices.

"Says the man who was about to destroy the guild because Porlyusica wasn't telling him what he wanted to hear fast enough." replied Alzack with a little chuckle, that everyone else except for Natsu joined in since they could already tell he would probably over react just like Macao. But then a few of them realized that the one big difference between the two of them is that Natsu would completely destroy anything that got in his way and definitely had the power to do it.

This was just when a few of the other guild members started to trickle back in and instantly start talking with Natsu and wanting to know how things were going. And just like that the guild hall once again became extremely lively and only got more so as they figured out that their Master wanted them to celebrate the good news with him, which is what they did for the next few hours. That is until the infirmary doors opened once again and the doctors and nurses that were helping Porlyusica filed out with her bringing up the rear and closing the door behind her.

"They've rested enough to finally have a few visitors." she stated in a tone that left no room for any discussion.

"They're still fine right?" asked a random member, regretting that he did as the woman glared at him with enough intensity to almost make him catch on fire.

"Of course they are you nitwit! Now only a few of you imbeciles should see her at once for the next few days, until she regains her strength and energy." she stated as her eyes finally landed on the one person that wanted to see Ultear more than anything else in the whole world. Currently Natsu was holding a tired Liza in his arms that ate way more cake than she probably should have since Ultear wasn't there to stop her.

Without saying anything he started to make his way upstairs as everyone got out of his way, not wanting to slow him down on his way to his wife and new born child. And they did the same thing for the rest of the women of the Dragneel residence that followed after him, stopping at the door where he was currently standing with a blank look on his face.

"Daddy, what's going on?" asked Liza as she poked his face that never looked so expressionless while she was with him.

"Sorry Honey, daddy was just collecting his thoughts." he replied as a smile slowly came over his face.

"Ohhhh." she replied, only for her to be lifted out of his hold by Meredy who was smiling at Natsu.

"Get in there, we'll be out here waiting for you to give us the go ahead you big Weirdo." said Meredy as she set Liza down, who just seemed confused as to why she couldn't go in with him but didn't say anything about it.

"Thanks Meredy." he responded with his usual grin before going into the infirmary.

"Natsu?" asked Ultear as soon as she heard the door open and close.

"Yes Ultear." replied Natsu as he cautiously walked over to her. He took note that all he could see of her right now was her back side, as she appeared to be looking at something she was sharing the bed with. And he could only assume that it was their child, thinking this caused him to pick up his pace while still making sure to be extremely quiet.

He came up behind his wife and put a comforting hand on her as he peered over her and instantly lost his voice. "Natsu, I'd like you to meet Ava, Asher and Milo." she said while he looked with complete shock at three small bundles that were his own flesh and blood. And for the next few minutes he remained completely still while not even uttering a single word as he continued to look at the three of them.

"Natsu?" asked Ultear in a concerned tone as she finally tore her eyes off her children to look up at her husband. She was surprised to see tears coming from his eyes as he continued to gaze at their babies. "I'm so sorry that I didn't tell you earlier but I…" she started to say until he silenced her with a tender kiss.

"They're perfect just like you." he mumbled while once again looking at his children with disbelief.

"Aren't you upset about being left in the dark about all of this?" she asked in a timid voice that was rarely heard from her.

"Upset? Why in the world would I be upset with you Ultear? You just gave me the best surprise that I could have ever asked for, not only did you give us a child of our own but you gave us three of them. So how in the world could I ever be upset with you?" he asked while having a toothy smile on his face that wasn't going to be leaving anytime soon.

"Thank you Natsu." she replied while starting to cry tears of joy as he gently brought her into a warm embrace. "You know you can hold them if you want to." she stated, knowing that he was most likely scared to touch them at the moment. So before he could protest she picked up the pink bundle and passed it to him, who received the bundle as if it might break from the lightest breeze.

"Hi Ava, I'm your daddy and if you're even half as beautiful as your mother I'm going to have a really hard time keeping the boys away from you." he whispered to her as he felt Ultear give him a light hit on the shoulder.

"Natsu." she said while shaking her head at him.

"What, you know it's true. But luckily Ava I have a feeling that Asher and Milo are going to help me with that." he replied with his grin only getting bigger as his wife hit him again.

"Please stop telling her already how you plan to make her life terrible." said Ultear as she moved over so that Natsu could sit on the bed with her now that she was holding their two sons.

"Fine, but I don't view it as ruining her life; think of it as me making sure she picks the right guy for her. Isn't that right Ava, it is going to take someone really special to be good enough for you." he stated as Ava let out a little yawn and then had a content smile as she nestled closer to his natural heat.

"And here I was hoping that Liza would make you not so protective." she stated with a smile that she also knew wouldn't be leaving her face anytime soon.

"It probably will Ul, but you can't blame me for wanting to protect them and make sure they're happy." he said, giving her a quick peck on the cheek.

"So what do you think about the names I picked?" she asked while looking over and into his onyx eyes.

"That they're perfect just like you." he replied while leaning forward and giving her another kiss but this time on the lips. "So what are their full names?" he asked after their quick little kiss.

"I was thinking that you could do that." she stated as she rested her head against his shoulder.

"Okay." he said as a thoughtful expression came over his face while he remained silent for a few minutes. "Ava Ur Dragneel, what do you think about that?" he asked while looking over at Ultear, who smiled back up at him as she nodded her head approvingly.

"Milo Makarov Dragneel and Asher Igneel Dragneel." he stated while pointing at the boys respectively held in her arms. Right after he said that Ultear started to giggle, making him think that she didn't like the names he picked out and started to have a pout come over his face.

"Sorry Natsu, those are perfect names." she said while still trying to contain her amusement.

"Then why are you laughing?" he asked with an eyebrow raised.

"You got them backwards Dear, Asher is the one with your hair." she replied as a look of shock came over Natsu as he inspected the two boys closely, wanting to make sure that she wasn't messing with him. And sure enough a pink strand of hair was just barely sticking out of the bundle that was Asher, who was actually the only one awake and looking up at him.

"Do we know what Ava and Milo's hair color is?" he asked while smiling back down at his son that reciprocated it back to him.

"They have my hair for now at least, but that could change as they grow up." replied Ultear as she finally stopped giggling at his little mistake.

"Honestly I couldn't care less about their hair as long as they're healthy. So as you probably already know the rest of the guild wants to see how you're doing and also see the newest additions to the Fairy Tail family." he stated in a soft tone as Ava looked like she was about to wake up.

"They can wait a little longer, let's have it be just us for a little longer." she said while gently trying to rock Asher back to sleep.

"Fine by me." stated Natsu with a content smile as he rested his head against Ultear's that was already on his shoulder.

 **End of Chapter**

 **Author's Notes:**

 **There you go everyone; I really hope you enjoyed it even if it barely progressed the story in the time line at all. But like I said in the previous notes of the past chapter, I felt like I had to devote at least one chapter to their pregnancy and other things that went along with it. So I was also planning on adding another part to this chapter, which would be the addition of a new member to the guild but I decided that I might wait until the next chapter to do that. Or I could possibly wait until later to add her since I have another character that I also want to add in since they are going to slightly shake things up for Natsu and the rest of Fairy Tail. Well those are things I guess I'll have to figure out on my own, which sums up what I have to say for this note. So as always feel free to leave me a review or pm and I'll try to get back to you when I can.**

 **Oh and if you would like me to update faster or possibly start a new story I have information about that on my profile page.**

 **Until the next Chapter**

 **Digem Out!**


	29. Unexpected Guests and New Acquaintances

Ch 29: Unexpected Guests and New Acquaintances

 **April 26th X788 six months after the birth of Natsu and Ultear's kids:**

During these last six months a lot of things happened and changed for Fairy Tail's regular routine. Of course most of the changes were focused on the two new parents spending all their free time with their new kids, which in Ultear's case was now twenty four seven. While Natsu on the other hand couldn't completely shirk his other duties that came with being the guild Master of Fairy Tail and lead guardian against all drake attacks. Luckily for him, the way he setup the guild after becoming Master made it so that he could actually spend a decent amount of his time with his new family. But that unfortunately didn't count for being called on whenever a hunting pack of drakes showed up, which he at first wanted the other dragon slayers to handle until he had a little chat with his wife about it. During which, she was able to convince him that it would be better for everyone if he still lead the charge against the drakes so that the odds of something bad happening would remain at their current state.

After the first month the guild could tell whenever he stopped by to do his paperwork and check in on them that he wasn't getting really any sleep at home. They learned later after a visit from Ultear and the babies that thanks to Natsu's enhanced hearing he was instantly with the babies at the slightest sound of discomfort and really wouldn't get any sleep at night. So after hearing this they were finally able to get him to agree to come to the guild for four more hours than he was before after arguing with a few of them for another month. But once he did agree and started doing it, the effects were almost seen instantly since it was clear that he would spend most of this new time sleeping in his office that no one dared to go near. Not because they believed Natsu would be upset for someone waking him up from his limited time of peace and quiet, but because of the other members such as Kei and Kagura who were definitely willing to beat down anyone that intended to disturb him.

This was also right around the time that they would hold their yearly S-class exams, which luckily Natsu was able to do now that he was no longer sleep deprived. Some of the participants thought that this year might be easier to pass because of how distracted he was up till the day of the exams, but oh boy were they wrong about that. That year Natsu took them to Mt. Hakobe, which just so happened to be during the middle of a blizzard where they were then informed that they had to climb it and find a certain cave near the summit. Once inside the cave they were greeted with some very excited Vulcans, only to then come face to face with their last challenge which was going against the twin dragon slayers all alone until Natsu told them to stop. Of course Sting was furious the whole time since it meant that he and Rogue didn't have the chance to become S-Class mages, which he then surprisingly focused on the few members that made it that far. Needless to say, from the ten that Natsu selected to compete in this year's exams only two passed, which were Kei and Warren. And like Fairy Tail is known to do after joyous occasions like two members being promoted, they partied well into the night and straight into the morning after.

After the first two months Natsu slowly started to go back to how he was before Asher, Ava, and Milo were born. Bit by bit he would go back to doing something that he hadn't been able to do up till then, one of the first things that he started to do again were the morning trainings where any member could go to him and ask for advice on their fighting or magic in general. After he started to do that he was then seen in the guild more often as well, sitting at the bar where they could talk with him about anything and get his input on what jobs they should be doing. He was even able to occasionally start spending a few hours each week with Cid and Bianca working on drake gear, that was either for him or some other member that he wanted to possibly be on the front lines if drakes came after them again.

As for what happened to Ultear and the three newest Dragneels during these three months, the first two months they were smothered by an excited father that wanted to spend every second he could with them. Something that they all appreciated and enjoyed, but Ultear being the woman that she is knew it couldn't remain that way for ever and also knew that the guild and everyone there really needed him. And that up till this point they were doing their best to let the new family have their alone time and not bother them with their own problems. So after two months she voiced this out to Natsu and finally got him to start going back to his other responsibilities that weren't really necessities in his opinion. Of course Ultear only got him to agree to this under the condition that there were always at least two members of the guild with her while he was at the guild. Something that wasn't really hard to do given that Meredy was pretty much glued to Ultear and the kids, always willing to help out with whatever she could. And surprisingly in at least Natsu's opinion, Kagura and Kei were the same as Meredy, but they both felt the need to maintain their other guild duties so they weren't there twenty four seven like the eldest Dragneel child was.

Now as for the second oldest Dragneel kid, she also wanted to do what she could but given how young she was there wasn't really much for her to do. But that didn't stop Liza from trying and being there if they ever needed her to run and get something. Although after doing that for the first two months, no one was surprised when she started to go to the guild with Natsu and remain there until he returned for the day. But that didn't mean she no longer helped out when she could, of course Natsu thought that she might be doing this to prove that she could be useful so that they wouldn't abandon her like she confided in him that one night. So when he finally sat her down, he was happy to learn that she was doing all of this because it was what she thought family did for each other which made him extremely proud of her. Something that she definitely learned after the long hug she was given and the next day being a daddy and daughter day where she got to do whatever she wanted with him.

The drakes were definitely up to something and it was weighing heavily on Natsu. Not because he and the other dragon slayers only took out seven of them over the last six months, no it was because of the more than fifteen other sightings that resulted with them not being ever seen again. Of course this could possibly just be a small scouting group, but he didn't have much hope for that being the case since their colors and the size of the group changed quite often. The fact that they were now always seen in hunting packs caused him to grow extremely suspicious of what they were up to. But then again he couldn't really blame them since he and the rest of Fairy Tail have been doing a really good job at dealing with them up till this point. Ever since that large scale attack organized by Morenth, the biggest group they've had to deal with at one time is three which is something Natsu is very thankful for because he honestly doesn't know how well they would fair against a group larger than that.

Of the seven that attacked Fiore, it was broken down into two groups of two and one group of three which were the first ones that decided to face off against Natsu. Who at that time brought Sting and Rogue with him, something he was actually grateful for since those two were very skilled at distracting their opponents. This allowed him to first deal with the normal fire drake and move straight onto the non-elemental one afterwards that was one of the fastest drakes they've faced up till now. Once again making Natsu extremely grateful that Sting was there since he was probably the only one besides Jet who could handle the drake alone. After taking those two out they were left with the blue fire drake, who just so happened to be the Alpha of this group and was really determined to kill Natsu. And he would have actually had him if Natsu didn't have his smoke abilities that got him out of more deadly situations than he would ever openly admit. But the one thing Natsu wanted to learn about said drake wasn't revealed as the stubborn fool remained quiet as he could ask about his blue flames and why did they not sit well with Natsu when he ate them.

The last two hunting packs Natsu actually took on by himself as a form of training, something that Ultear was furious to learn about after each time he returned back to her. The first one was a fire and lightning drake, which he was surprised at how well the two worked together and for the briefest moment he contemplated trying to absorb the lighting like he tried a few times with Laxus. But before he did that he remembered Porlyusica's warning and her assessment that it was almost a guaranteed death sentence for him if he tried something that reckless again. Not to mention he had so many people waiting for him to return home to and spend time with. The last pack was definitely not a very good match up for him since they were a snow and ice drake, and to make it harder they decided to battle on the top of a mountain. But after a hard fought battle he came out the victor once again with a few new injuries that most wouldn't even notice after the bandages were removed. With the exception of a tiny nick being taken out of his right ear at the top part of it towards the back. Something that he was completely fine with since it didn't hinder his hearing in the slightest.

 **Dragneel Residence:**

Currently most of the occupants were soundly asleep, which rarely happened after the triplets arrived, but one individual had already gotten fully dressed and would have left if he hadn't caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror of his room. And that was Natsu Dragneel who couldn't believe that the person staring back at him was actually what he looked like to everyone else. Everything about him was now different when compared to what he looked like when the Tenrou Group disappeared over three years ago. Of course there were a few things that didn't change like his hair color and his onyx eyes, but everything else slightly changed.

Like how his hair is now slightly longer and usually kept in place by his scarf that he now wears as a bandana. If you got past the three large scars going over his left eye and the few smaller ones that were barely noticeable on his face, you would then see a more mature and well defined face of someone that is surprisingly knowledgeable given his age. This got Natsu to finally take notice of another thing about himself that he actually didn't take notice of till right then, which was that his overall size grew significantly compared to how he used to be. Now this size change was nowhere as severe as him being as big as Elfman or any of the other extremely bulky members of their guild. If he had to guess, Natsu would say he was currently just a little bigger than Gajeel would be which also puts him just slightly smaller than Laxus. And as a smirk spread across his face he knew that this is definitely where he wanted to be at the moment, while he now looked at his usual outfit that wasn't even close to his old one.

First was his orange and black reversible sleeveless coat that could clearly be identified as being made from drake scales thanks to its scale pattern. Underneath that he now wore two shoulder pads and a specially designed chest piece that allowed him to keep his flexibility. He still wondered why Bianca was so instant on their being an elaborate dragon on the front of it, but if he was honest it did look pretty intimidating with its mouth open and looking as if it was coming out at you. This caused him to chuckle to himself because just two years ago it would have been hard to convince him to wear a shirt, but here he was now wearing a white one with a black set of armor on top of it. And the same thing could be said about his foot wear, which used to be sandals but even he soon realized it would be smarter for him to switch to combat boots. That were once again designed by Bianca and were pretty much impregnable if you attacked the shins where she knew most of the strain would be located during most of his fights.

Going up Natsu didn't really think his pants were that much of a change since they only switched from being white to gray and the addition of a few new pockets. Pockets that he was surprised how much he actually used them once he actually had them. This although brought him to the last few changes to his usual attire, which were the addition of his claymore on his back and his vambraces that now, had something new attached to them. His vambraces that once were a simple black trimmed in orange, where now wrapped in a surprisingly small yet extremely durable steel chain that stopped at his hands where it looked like they could be attached to something bigger. All in all he was fine with these changes; he viewed each of his new scars as a learning experience and proof that he would always get back up and fight to protect what he held dear. And his new gear showed that he was no longer foolish enough to go out there each day by himself, expecting to come out of it fine. He knew that his old brash ways wouldn't work for him any longer and he had to use ever advantage he could get to ensure his own safety and also the safety of Fairy Tail.

"What are you doing up so early and already dressed?" asked a tired Ultear as she rubbed her eyes to get rid of her sleep.

"About an hour ago our little Ava got cranky, and I couldn't go back to sleep after I calmed her down." he replied as he turned to look at his wife. And seeing her tired look as she gazed back at him from there bed brought a loving smile to his face, because he still wondered how he ever got a woman like her all to himself.

"Did you even get any sleep at all tonight?" she asked as she peered into his onyx eyes so that he couldn't possibly try and lie to her.

"I actually did for a few hours, which surprised me since I didn't think it was possible for all three of them to be asleep at the same time." he answered with a smirk as he leaned down and gave her a quick kiss.

"They do seem to take turns getting our attention don't they." she stated with a content smile as Natsu nodded his head. "So are you going to take off early since you're already dressed?" she asked while cupping his cheek tenderly.

"Planned on it, hopefully I'll get to some of the things that I keep pushing off in the hopes that they'll just go away." he said while reaching up and placing his hand on top of hers as they gazed into each other's eyes.

"Liza will be upset that you left without her." she stated with a small smile as a little frown graced Natsu's lips after hearing this.

"I know, but I really need to try and catch back up with everything that I have going on." he replied only for Ultear to give him a quick kiss.

"Natsu, it'll be fine. She's a big girl and knows that you have other work and can't always take her to the guild. Besides this will allow me to get Meredy out of the house and back to the guild without me and the triplets, for like the first time in months." Ultear said with a loving smile that helped Natsu calm down and not feel so guilty about not taking Liza with him to the guild like they usually did each morning together.

"Is she annoying you that much?" he asked with a huge grin as she started to hit him on the chest.

"Absolutely not you idiot, I just wanted her to remember how much fun it can be at the guild when you're not watching over one of the kids. Hopefully she will realize this and keep going back to the guild occasionally." she explained after she stopped hitting him playfully.

"You know she just wants to make sure that you and the triplets are safe." pointed out Natsu as he got up from the bed and started to head towards their door.

"I know which is why I plan to ask Sting and Rogue to do their training in the area. Also I think I recall Cobra saying something about Kinana coming over sometime today, so you know he'll be spending all morning making sure everything is perfect for her." she said with a sly grin towards the end, both of them enjoyed how different Cobra was when it was just them and Kinana around him.

"I'm betting that won't be enough for her to leave." he stated with a small grin.

"You're probably right, and if so I'll just have to ask Kei or Kagura to fill in for her." she replied as he finally opened their bedroom door.

"I'm guessing that it will require both of them staying here since she is awfully stubborn, just like her mother." he said with a wink and closed the door right before a pillow hit it. Thanks to his slightly upset wife at his little jab about her stubbornness, something that she believed that he of all people had no room to talk about.

 **Halfway between the Dragneel Residence and Fairy Tail just on the outskirts of town:**

"I still don't understand why we haven't just attacked him while he's sleeping at his house." stated a figure from a roof top as he watched the guild Master of Fairy Tail stroll into town a good two hours before he usually does. And he was also without his second youngest daughter like he has usually done for the past few months like clockworks.

"Because that would be completely to our disadvantage for various reasons, like him and the rest of those dragon slayers being able to detect us before we could even see their place." came a hushed voice from the figure's pocket.

"Master you are giving them way more credit than they deserve." replied the figure as they followed Natsu at a safe distance, making sure to remain out of his sight.

"I am not, and considering that you are so far the only one from our guild to not be detected by him proves it. So like always keep an eye on them and inform me if anything else unusual happens today, he is currently just distracted enough for our plan to be put into action the next time he goes out on a mission." replied the voice from before in a slightly excited tone.

"Will everyone be able to get here fast enough if something happens?" asked the figure as Natsu was buying some food and other random things from the few vendors that were actually open this early in the town.

"As I just said before, he is doing exactly what I want him to. So of course the rest of our team is in town, and now we're only waiting until the opportune time presents itself. Alert me when something else noteworthy happens." said the voice before the connection was cut. As soon as it ended the figure could only scoff at the ignorant dragon slayer that was continuing on like it was any other day in his normal life.

"Soon we'll see if you're the monster that Master claims you are Salamander." thought the figure as they jumped over to another roof and slipped behind a chimney as Natsu looked in their direction.

 **A few minutes later at Fairy Tail:**

"Hello Master Dragneel, what brings you to the guild so early today?" asked Kinana with a bright smile as she just finished putting the last chair down, which meant that everything in the guild hall was ready for first members of the guild to arrive.

"Ava woke me up, and afterwards I decided to use this time to catch up on a few things that I've been neglecting lately." he answered while giving her his usual grin.

"And what exactly has our great Master been neglecting?" she asked in a disbelieving tone with an eyebrow raised questioningly, because she knew for a fact that he had caught up on most of his Master duties. So she could only assume that the things that he was now getting to work on were his side projects that most of guild had no idea what they were.

"Oh you know this and that, one of the biggest one is approving that large stack of papers from Jude." he replied with a slight grimace at the thought of how long it would take him to go through all of it. This of course caused Kinana to chuckle at his misfortune since she knew that it was going to take him a few hours to just go over that alone.

"If you want I can help you with that until people start coming in." she offered, once again giving him a bright smile.

"Thanks Kinana, but this is kind of something that I have to do on my own since you don't know what I'm trying to accomplish." he replied while leaning up against the bar as she gave him a small box of four cigars.

"You could easily fix that by telling me what you're up to Natsu, it's the least I can do after you helped me so much with my training." she said with a determined look, one that he knew meant she wasn't going to stop until she could help him in some way.

So he let out a small sigh, yet still had a smile as he lit one of the cigars he was just given and put it in his mouth. "For the last time Kinana I don't need or want anything back for helping you with your magic, it's what any good Master would do for any of their members. But I can see that you aren't going to take no for an answer on this, so I guess I'll let you help on the part that most of you already know about." he responded while heading up the stairs to his office to go get the stack of papers.

"You won't regret this Master Dragneel, so what do you want me to do?" she asked, while also wondering what thing did she already know that he didn't mind her helping with.

"I want you to look over the properties that Jude has found for me that could possibly work for a new restaurant. And that also includes the cities and towns that I've already purchased property in for the same purpose." replied Natsu from inside his office that had his door wide open.

"Okay, but I honestly don't know what you've already bought." she said as he finally came down the stairs with a huge stack of paper and a few other things.

"I know, which is why I brought you my ledger of all my current real estate. Oh and you'll need to update it with each approval that you make, and if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask." he said while dropping all of the stuff he was carrying onto the bar and handing her a black leather book.

"This is going to take a few hours even with me helping." stated Kinana as she looked at the clutter he just made on the bar.

"Yep and this is just one of the few things I'm trying to get done today." he replied while taking a seat and getting to work. And for the next two hours they both worked in silence except for the occasional question from Kinana about if he wanted to purchase an already established business, which was usually a yes. Unfortunately for her that only confused her even more as to what he might be up to since the businesses were all over the board. One of the companies that he decided to purchase was a lumber company, while a different one was a company that specialized in mining and these were just two of the wide variety of companies he was buying.

"Wow Master Dragneel, it appears that you already have a little business empire spread across the country." she said while serving the last member of her usual morning rush.

"Oh come on Kinana, it really isn't like that at all." he replied while still working on the papers in front of him.

"I'm fairly confident that the rest of the world would disagree with you on that one. I mean you already ten different businesses scattered across the country and just had me fill out the paperwork to purchase ten more that are all different than your first ones. And that is not even including all of the property that you own and are either going to turn into a new restaurant or plan to leave as it is until you decide what you're going to do with them." she stated while placing a large mug of beer in front of him.

"I see your point, but honestly that is all thanks to Jude making sure that the companies I want are doing well and that the other properties that I'm also buying are in good areas." he stated before stopping to take a drink.

"I've been wanting to ask you about that Master Dragneel, why is Mr. Heartfilia doing all of this for you? I mean what is he getting out of all of this, because I really doubt that he's just doing all of this out of the kindness of his heart." she asked while cocking her head slightly to the left as she looked at him.

"Actually he tried to do all of this for me without getting a single jewel in return, but I wouldn't let him, so after a long discussion we agreed that his chunk of the profits would go to an account set up for Lucy once she returns. But I honestly think that he is doing all of this to make up for what he put Lucy through before, and to show her that he's changed for the better." answered Natsu with a slight smile spread across his lips, because he knew for a fact that Jude had definitely changed for the better since the last time Lucy saw him.

"Wow, so he really isn't getting any jewels from whatever the two of you are working towards?" she asked only to get a nod of conformation her Master. "So you're saying that once Lucy returns she is going to have more jewels than what she knows what to do with." she stated with a little smirk.

"Yep, and she is also the sole beneficiary of the Heartfilia Company that is once again on the rise towards the top of the business world." he replied as he downed the rest of his beer and went back to his paperwork.

"Wait, I thought you said Mr. Heartfilia wasn't making anything off of your little venture with him?" she asked with a confused look.

"I did, but Jude is a smart man and has invested everything he had into rebuilding his old empire. And after the success he's been having with the businesses that I wanted him to get, of course he's been probably investing in other ones that are strictly purchased for their profit potentials." he stated with a slight grin as he imagined how shocked Lucy was going to be once she found all of this out.

"I guess that makes sense, but I thought that he was pretty much broke just a few years ago?" she asked but this time with a curious expression.

"He was after he spent most of his jewels trying to figure out what exactly happened to Lucy, but luckily for him someone could see that he still had a lot left in him." he replied with a smug grin.

"You helped him out didn't you." she stated now just a few inches away from his face.

"I wouldn't say help since Jude is a very prideful man, and he only agreed to me helping him if I became his business partner. He even tried to change the name of his company so that I would be included in it, but I was lucky to get him to move on from that idea of his." he said, only to be met with a shocked look from the barmaid.

"So how much are the two of you making?" she asked, while trying to do her own calculations since she already had a good idea how much he made from dealing with the drakes. And after looking through his ledger she had a rough idea how much he has been spending on purchasing all of these new companies and properties.

"Honestly I don't know, Jude has been using most of it to purchase those new things you helped me fill out. So I don't really think I have any actual jewels from it since it's all been going towards that." he stated while scratching his chin in thought.

"I thought you were purchasing all of this with the jewels you get from eliminating those drakes." she said with a shocked look.

"Nope, most of that is in our vault, well only recently has it been going there so it's not as full as I would like it to be." he replied with a concerned look.

"How much is in there?" she asked, knowing that from her conversations with Wakaba and Macao that the guild was surprisingly making a decent amount of jewels since they were no longer causing as much damage as they used to.

"Just a little over fifty million jewels I think." he replied, only for the guild doors to fly open. "Daddy!" cheered Liza as she rushed through them and jumped at him and was instantly brought into a warm hug.

"Hey Liza, how's daddy's special little girl doing this wonderful morning?" he asked with a huge grin as he took a seat with her now on his lap.

"Good, but why did you have to leave without me?" she asked with a cute little glare directed up at him.

"Because I wanted to get some boring grownup work out of the way and I didn't want to wake you up and take you to the guild only for you to get bored." he replied, watching as she contemplated if that was a good enough reason for her to be left behind.

"Okay, but next time wake me up and take me with you. I won't get bored as long as I'm with you." she replied with a bright smile as she gave him another hug.

"Sure thing Honey, but I'm pretty sure that you'll get bored." he stated with a little chuckle as she shook her head no at him. "Oh is that so, well I guess we'll have to see if that's true as you sit here with me and do some more paperwork together." he suggested with a small smirk appearing on his lips.

"Fine, and I'll prove you wrong daddy." she declared as Natsu went back to work with her sitting on his lap and watching.

"How long do you think she'll last?" asked Kinana as she gave Meredy her usual order.

"Honestly it could take a few hours since they are both extremely stubborn." replied Meredy with a bright smile as she shook her head at the two of them.

"I'm pretty sure that comes with the Dragneel name." said the barmaid as she gave Meredy a little nudge to the shoulder.

"Hey, I'm no way as stubborn as those two or Ultear for that matter." declared Meredy as she whipped around to look at her friend who was now giggling at her.

"Sure you aren't which is why we've seen you less than Natsu for the last six months." stated Kinana as she rolled her eyes at her.

"Fine, I can be stubborn but can you blame me when you think about how many enemies those two have made during their lives." replied Meredy after letting out a long and tired sigh.

"They've definitely made more than most people do their entire life, but that's just comes along with their current positions. And everyone else is worried about that too, so don't try to deal with all of that on your own Meredy. Also you're forgetting one major thing about all of this." she said with a caring smile.

"And what exactly is that?" asked Meredy as she locked eyes with the barmaid.

"That the whole country has seen what Natsu is capable of when just fighting for fun or when he's protecting people he doesn't even know. And anyone who knows him at all knows that all of that would look like child's play if he was fighting for Fairy Tail or his family." she answered before she headed off to go get a different guild member's order. Leaving Meredy to think about what they just talked about and she couldn't help but realize that the barmaid was completely correct about everything and that she might have been slightly overreacting to all of it. So with a smile slowly coming over her lips she decided to go and chat with a few members that she hasn't seen in a little while.

 **Two and a half hours later outside the guild:**

"Master it looks like someone noteworthy is heading towards Fairy Tail." said the figure that was watching Natsu this morning as they watched a man in a blue cloak head towards the guild hall.

"And why do you think that?" asked the same voice from before.

"Because I could feel his magical presence why before I could see him, and it is at the level of a Wizard Saint." replied the figure as they inspected this new stranger he had never seen once while monitoring Fairy Tail and more specifically their guild Master.

"Interesting, what does he look like?" asked the voice, clearly intrigued by this new development.

"Sorry Master but I can't really tell anything about him other than him being a male, thanks to him being almost being completely wrapped in bandages and having his face covered by a cloth." responded the figure, now thinking that they were soon going to receive a tongue lashing for their incompetence. But instead of that happening they were only asked another question from their Master in an excited tone.

"Does this man have staffs on his back?" asked the voice, hoping that the answer was yes.

"Yes he does, Master do you know who this stranger is?" the figure asked back as the man finally entered Fairy Tail.

"No I don't, but what I do know is that the person they are trying to pretend to be is no longer a member of Fairy Tail due to some very shocking events that took place a few years ago." answered the voice in a happy tone.

"Okay Master, but doesn't this ruin our plans since he is clearly someone that could put up a decent fight?" asked the figure, who really couldn't understand why there Master was excited about Fairy Tail gaining another strong fighter.

"Actually this is most likely going to be the exact thing we were waiting for." stated the voice, no longer being able to contain his joy. "Keep monitoring them and tell me right away if the new person and Salamander's magic presence disappears all of a sudden." ordered the voice before cutting off communication.

"I sure hope you know what you're doing Master." thought the figure as they started to focus on the two magical presences that he was instructed to keep an eye on.

 **Inside of Fairy Tail just moments ago:**

"She lasted as long as she could." stated Meredy with a loving smile as she looked at Liza asleep on Natsu's lap as he continued to somehow do paper work in the hectic main room of the guildhall.

"She's just like her daddy and doesn't like to admit defeat." said Kinana as she whizzed past them and continued serving other guild members. But just as she did Natsu's head snapped up as he took a sniff of the air and slowly had a grin spread across his lips.

"Meredy could you please hold onto her for a bit, it seems that someone very unexpected decided to drop by for a visit." said while passing Liza off, knowing that Meredy wouldn't say no. And he instantly started to pack up his papers, something that the few people around him were surprised to see since he usually tried to get all of that stuff out of the way at one time.

"Who's coming that actually got you to stop doing paperwork?" asked Macao from the stool on Natsu's right.

"Someone that has a lot of explaining to do if they want to walk out of here on his own two feet." he replied with an excited grin as he picked up his things and started to head up to his office.

"Natsu, I don't really like that look you currently have." stated Meredy with a nervous look as she readjusted Liza into a better position.

"There's nothing to worry about Meredy." he said before disappearing into his office just as their doors opened. Standing there was someone that most of the guild didn't recognize for obvious reasons, but some of the older members were shocked to see a person that wasn't supposed to be in their world anymore. Well that is who they thought they saw standing in their doorway, since it fit the description of their S-Class mage that barely anything was known about.

"Is that really you Mystogan?" asked Macao as he actually got into a fighting stance and was ready to attack if the man moved too quickly for his liking. But rather than replying the stranger just stood there without saying a word as he looked around the guild hall.

"Mystogan, my office now!" shouted Natsu from right outside of his door. "And everyone else go back to what they were doing before, oh and it would be wise to not try and listen in on my meeting with Mystogan." he stated while Mystogan made his way upstairs and into Natsu's office. The dragon slayer gave the whole guild one more stern look before heading into his office and closing the door behind him.

"I thought Mystogan was in Edolas." stated Meredy as she looked over to Macao for an answer.

"He is, and from what I was told there shouldn't be any way for him to ever get back here." he replied with a confused look as he tried to figure out what was going on.

"Then who in the world is that?" she asked while looking up at Natsu's office.

"I don't know, but whoever it is Natsu seems to know him so there isn't really anything for us to worry about." stated Kinana as she went behind the bar and started to clean some mugs.

"You're right Kinana, but this is going to bug me until I find out who he is." replied Macao as he started to massage his temples in thought.

 **Inside Natsu's Office:**

The man currently dressed as Mystogan looked around the office and was surprised with how clean and organized it was. He could only assume that it was left pretty much in the same state as Makarov left it in since most of the objects in the room looked like they've been there for a long time. The only things that looked fairly new were a few pictures scattered around the room, and upon closer inspection most of the pictures were of the members of the Tenrou Group. This brought a smile to the man's face as he picked up a smaller version of the one that Reedus made for Natsu's restaurant. Placing it back down on the desk next to a photo of Natsu and Ultear kissing at their wedding, which to its right had a picture of Natsu with Liza on his shoulder as he was carrying Meredy under his arms as she tried to escape from his clutches with a bright smile. Moving on to the next one he found him starring at a painting of Natsu and Ultear both asleep on a bed in the infirmary with their three new babies also asleep in their arms.

"Take a seat." stated Natsu in a commanding tone as he closed the door and went to his chair on the other side of the desk as the man did as he was told. And for the next two minutes the two looked at each other intently without saying a word until Natsu tossed the man a cigar as he put one in his own mouth.

"What's this for?" asked the man as he looked down at the cigar that then ignited after a snap of Natsu's finger.

"For smoking of course, and this time we have a few things to celebrate." replied Natsu as he leaned back with content smile coming over his face.

The man looked at the cigar then back to Natsu who looked like he was in deep thought, so with a shrug of his shoulders he pulled down his hood and face mask as he put the cigar in. Revealing his true identity only to Natsu, who happened to already knew who he was, that he was none other than Jellal Fernandes, a man that was publicly executed by the Kingdom and the Council about eight months ago.

"You've been awful busy Natsu, and it is correct that we have a few reasons to celebrate." stated Jellal as Natsu finally snapped out of his distant look and looked at him. "But as I'm sure you know I've come here on some very serious business." he finished with a serious expression coming over his face as he sent a puff of smoke to the ceiling.

"I figured as much, but that doesn't mean we can't have a good cigar since you didn't like my usual brand that I gave you last time." replied Natsu as he leaned forward until he was resting his elbows on the desk as he stared down the supposedly dead man before him.

"Very true, and I would like to congratulate you on the triplets, that I'm surprised aren't on the cover of every magazine in the whole country right now." he stated with an eyebrow raised questioningly.

"That's probably due to a rumor going around about how I wouldn't have any problems with burning anyone trying to take a picture of them without my permission. Even if I got charged with attempted murder since I wouldn't stop until they were reduced to a burnt crisp that people would have trouble identifying as human. But that is only just my guess as to why they've only just been mentioned in magazines so far and nothing more." replied the dragon slayer with an amused grin spread across his face.

"That would definitely keep most people away for pretty much ever." said Jellal with a little chuckle.

"You'd think so but just three months after they were born Jason asked if he could have an interview and get a few pictures of us together." he replied while shaking his head at how persistent the reporter was.

"Somehow that doesn't really surprise me, but at least he asked." stated Jellal as he smiled at Natsu who was still shaking his head at no doubt all of the other times the reporter came by and asked the same thing.

"There is at least that I guess, so what was important enough for you to make use of that gift I gave you the last time we met?" asked Natsu once again adopting a very serious expression as he looked at the blue haired mage in his office.

"It has to do with what I'm doing for the Council." replied Jellal now having a very conflicted look on his face as he stared at the man who prevented him from committing a terrible atrocity and brought him back to the light at the same time.

"I assume it's about the drakes, otherwise you wouldn't be bothered since the only other thing you've been up to since your execution is taking down dark guild by yourself. Of course with the occasional help of the Council when you knew you couldn't handle it on your own." he said to Jellal's surprise.

"How in the world do you know all of that?" asked Jellal in complete and utter disbelief that the reckless dragon slayer from a few years ago was this well informed.

"I've got a few friends in the Council and the Kingdom for that matter, so I'm pretty well informed on a wide variety of things going on in the country these days." he answered while then going quiet so his guest could continue his explanation for paying him a visit today.

"It would appear so, and yes the Council has been having me monitor the reported Drakes and tracking them just recently. And after the last one I found out something that I'm pretty sure they didn't want me to stumble upon." replied the ex-dark mage with a blank expression.

"And what exactly did you find out?" asked Natsu, since it looked like Jellal wasn't going to keep talking on his own.

"That the Council has their own dragon slayer and they might have had him even while I was part of them, which I'm sure you realize how significant that is. And to make matters worse I believe they are currently having me track down another one, in the hopes that they can get them to join their side." he said while Natsu closed his eyes with a thoughtful yet somber look coming over his face.

"Do you think they're hoping that this knew dragon slayer can replace me?" asked Natsu while still having his eyes closed in thought.

"From what I saw, this kid is less experienced than those two teenagers you're currently training. But his powers are off the chart and his form of dragon slaying magic is pretty impressive. So I'd have to say that some of them are hoping to replace you with him, but the Chairman and a few others aren't foolish enough to believe that." answered Jellal as he was surprised with how calm Natsu currently was, but then he remembered that the man before him was no longer that idiot that charged in head first anymore.

"If they've had him for a while now, then why isn't he more skilled?" asked the fire dragon slayer as he opened one eye to look at his guest.

"I would guess that they've been running tests with him for most of his time with them, probably trying to figure out as much as possible about his magic as they can. Who knows, they might have been trying to replicate his qualities for all I know. At least that is what I would have suggested to do while I was a member." he replied with a sad grin, still feeling guilty about all the terrible things he committed in his past.

"That still doesn't explain why you say he's inexperienced." pointed out Natsu as he got up and went to his window and looked out at the lake behind the guildhall.

"From watching him fight it's pretty obvious he's done very little fighting, which is probably because of his element." stated Jellal only for Natsu to look over his shoulder and give him a questioning look. "He's a Lava Dragon Slayer, something that I wouldn't have believed if I hadn't seen it with my own two eyes. And considering that you took out a lava drake it kind of makes sense that a dragon could also have the same element." he replied as Natsu went back to looking out his window and they remained silent for a few more minutes.

"And what exactly are you expecting me to do with this information?" he asked while turning around and taking a seat once again in his chair.

"I was hoping that you'd step in before the Council gets the kid killed." stated Jellal as if that should have been obvious.

"Considering that you only just found out about him recently, I'm figuring that the Council is doing everything in their power to keep his existence hidden from me. And I'm also betting that they're regretting letting Cobra join Fairy Tail like they did before I became Master." he said while running a hand through his hair.

"Okay Natsu, I've been wondering this for a while now. But what in the world did you do to get on most of the Council's bad side?" asked Jellal, because even while he was still in prison the fire dragon slayer was still a constant topic for the guards and how he was a thorn in the Council's side.

"Oh you know me, a few threats here and there about how I would bring their whole stupid organization crashing down around them if they messed with Fairy Tail ever again. Also doesn't hurt that I have proof of them trying to close down Fairy Tail before the Tenrou Group went missing, and then when Acnologia attacked they all just ran away like cowards while my guild was fighting for their lives." he replied with a lot of venom towards the end of it.

"No wonder you've got a few of those old timers so worked up." chuckled Jellal as a smirk spread across his lips, remembering how even when he was still there, Natsu was starting to attract the wrong sort of attention by them.

"Yep, I'm just a people person like that." he said with a small smirk of his own. "But that still doesn't get me any closer to helping out this new dragon slayer of theirs or the one you believe they have you hunting down." he finished once again having a serious expression come over his face.

"I was thinking that the intel that I send back to the Council I could also send your way as well." suggested the blue haired mage, only for Natsu to start shaking his head no.

"Sorry Jellal, but even then I don't know if I would be of much help since I can no longer just take off at a moment's notice like I used. If I wasn't both the Master of Fairy Tail and a new father I could possibly work something out, but unfortunately for you I don't plan to stop being either of those two things anytime soon. Unless the Tenrou Group appears that is, if that happened then Makarov could take up his old position and we could work something out." explained Natsu as he put both of his arms behind his head and leaned back in his chair.

"I should have realized that wasn't going to work, then what do you say to me telling you when I know for a fact that he's at a certain spot?" he asked with a hopeful expression.

"I guess I could come if you knew for sure that he was going to be there, but I'm betting that it won't be a normal conversation between to rational mages once we meet." said Natsu after letting out a long sigh.

"Is it ever just a normal conversation when you're involved?" he asked with a smirk.

"Shut up Jellal, I've had plenty of normal conversations." mumbled Natsu as the only other person in the room chuckled at him.

"You do, but that really doesn't happen when you're facing off against someone that sees you as an enemy." he stated after he stopped his chuckling.

"Wait, you think this new dragon slayer might see me as an enemy?" asked Natsu with a slightly shocked expression.

"If he listens to half of the Council then he will, and even if he doesn't isn't there some sort of weird dragon slayer thing that causes you to always fight each other?" he asked back with a little smirk.

"I sure hope they haven't brained washed him yet." said Natsu with a tired sigh. "And you're probably talking about the whole Alpha thing that we have, which isn't really a problem when we didn't have a pack. But now that there is one it only becomes an issue if this new slayer thinks that he would be a better Alpha than me." he explained while spinning his chair so that his back was to Jellal.

"Well if that's true then hopefully he'll realize that you're way out of his league." replied Jellal as he put out the cigar that he had been smoking up till now.

"Knowing my luck, that won't happen. So about this other dragon slayer, I take it you're hoping I can get them to come with me rather than joining up with the Council?" he asked while still having the back of his chair to Jellal.

"That's exactly what I was hoping for." answered Jellal with a smile, glad that this already seemed like Natsu was more interested in dealing with than a dragon slayer already under the Council's thumb.

"Aren't your new bosses going to be upset with you if that happens?" he asked while turning around to get a good look at him while he answered this question.

"Probably, but what are they going to do? Execute me again; I really don't think the rest of Fiore would be okay with being deceived like that. Also this is all very hypothetical since I don't plan on letting the Council know about my involvement in any of this at all." replied Jellal with absolute confidence in his plan of action.

"Okay, I'm in Jellal." he said while holding out his hand for a handshake, one that Jellal quickly gave him.

"Well if that's the case then how is your schedule for the rest of the day, because I've got a really good lead as to where this dragon slayer might be? And if we move right now we can get there before the Council's investigators get there." stated Jellal as he pulled up his hood and mask again so that he once again looked like Mystogan.

"I think I can take the rest of today off." replied Natsu with a grin as he got out of his chair.

"Alright, now we can either take the train or I can carry you there which will be a lot faster." he stated as they headed towards the door, where Natsu stopped before he opened it.

"Where exactly are we going?" asked Natsu as he turned around, blocking Jellal from exiting through the door.

"To a town just a little north of Blue Pegasus." he answered, only for Natsu to start grinning at him in what he thought was a creepy way.

"If that's the case then I'm choosing option three." stated Natsu as he turned the door knob and headed out into the guildhall leaving behind an extremely confused Jellal. "Alright everyone, Mystogan and I are heading out to take care of some pressing issues that he's brought to my attention just now. So don't expect me to return for a few hours at least, oh and try to keep the damages under a million jewels while we're gone." he said as the members there let out a cheer before starting a brawl just for the heck of it.

"Master Dragneel, are you sure that was a good idea and I never gave you a third option on how we were going to get where we're headed? Unless you're talking about using Doranbolt, which I highly recommend against since he works for the Council and not even he knows about what we were talking about before." he said quietly after catching up to Natsu and following him down the stairs and through the ongoing brawl.

"I'm positive, just look at the fun they're having now that they know I don't care if a few things get broken. And don't worry, I wouldn't want to involve Doranbolt in this since he's already seen somewhat as an outcast in the Council after forming so many bonds with everyone here." replied Natsu as he picked up Liza, who looked to be upset with him.

"Let me go." she said while turning away from him.

"What's the matter Liza?" he asked in a caring tone.

"You're leaving again without me." she stated while still looking away from him.

"That's because what Mystogan and I are going to be doing is too dangerous and I couldn't bear the thought of you possibly getting hurt." he said as he moved her so they were now looking at each other. She quickly fixed this by moving her head again, only for him to keep moving her so that she was looking at him. After this went on for a little while it finally ended with Liza giggling at her goofball of a father who was grinning at her.

But to his surprise, Liza got a very serious look in her eyes as she looked back up at him. "But I can take care of myself after all that training we've been doing together." she stated while locking eyes with him.

"I know Honey, but unfortunately this could be almost as dangerous as when daddy goes off to fight drakes. And you've seen what they can do to me." he explained while pointing to his newer scars to emphasis his point.

"Okay, but can we go on a job together when you come back?" she asked while looking down. This was something that she had wanted to do for a long time now, but unfortunately Ultear and most of the guild was against her going out on a job while she was still so young. Of course Natsu didn't see anything wrong with it because Igneel was giving him small missions to do on his own when he was her age.

"It's a deal, but we should probably just keep this between the two of us." he whispered into her ear and was instantly receiving a hug from her as she whispered thank you back.

"Alright, see you all later then. Oh and Meredy make sure you keep an eye on her, I think she might be itching to get into trouble while I'm gone. And if Ultear calls for me, just tell her I'm out with Mystogan and I'm sure she'll understand." said Natsu while pointing to Liza as she was celebrating about getting to go on a job with him once he got back. And before anyone could ask him anything else he and Mystogan both exited through the backdoors of the guild.

 **Outside with the figure that has been surveilling Fairy Tail:**

"And here I thought today was going to be exciting." thought the figure only to almost fall off the ledge of the building he was laying on as Natsu and Mystogan both emerged from the back of the guild hall. Luckily for the figure he was still a good distance away from them so he was confident that the Natsu didn't notice his presence right then when he wasn't masking it.

"What are you two up to?" asked the figure to himself as he watched the pair walk towards a weird garden that was only installed just a month by that muscular plant man and Natsu. But what he saw next actually caused his mouth to drop open in disbelief as one of the plants grew larger and opened up to reveal some sort of portal inside. And before the figure could realize what was going on the pair walked through it and were gone as the plant shrank back down to its former size.

So as fast as the figure could he reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper and pressed a red area on it. "Master, Salamander and that stranger just went through some sort of plant thing and are no longer in Magnolia." stated the figure in a rushed tone.

"Do you know where they went?" asked the same voice that was always talking with this person.

"Sorry Master, but I don't know since you said remaining unnoticed was top priority." they replied in a slightly scared tone.

"And what about all of their other S-Class mages?" he asked in a deadly serious tone that was easily picked up by his voice alone.

"None of the dragon slayers have stopped by the guild yet, and that lady Cobra is interested in headed off towards the Dragneel residence just a few minutes ago so I don't think he'll drop by anytime soon. That pink haired chick is in there with that other daughter of Salamander's as well. As for the rest of their S-Class wizards, most of them are off on jobs so it's really hard to say when they'll be back." they answered now in an excited tone since it seemed like they might be finally putting their plan into action.

"How many members are in the guild right now?" he asked with a hint of excitement lacing his voice.

"About twenty five, the only ones that are likely to give us any trouble are Dragneel's adopted brats and that old man that was their temporary guild Master." stated the figure with a creepy grin slowly spreading across his lips.

"Then today is finally the day that we make our move." replied the voice. "But that means you need to wait, I would hate it if you rushed in there and they were able to call for help before we could take control of the situation." continued the voice and effectively stopping the figure from jumping off the roof that they were on and charging straight into Fairy Tail like a mad man.

"Yes Master." replied the figure in a depressed tone.

"Don't worry, soon Fairy Tail will be wiped off the face of this world and they will only be a small foot note in the history of the country that will soon be ours." said the voice that finished off the call with maniacal laughter that brought a smirk to the figure's lips as they kept their eyes locked on the guild hall that was soon going to be in a different kind of chaos than what they were used to having each day.

 **With Natsu and Jellal:**

"Why hello Master Dragneel, if I had known that you would be stopping by like this I would have tidied the place up better." said Master Bob dramatically, as he gestured to what the two guests would describe as a spotless guildhall compared to what Fairy Tail's guildhall looks like most of the time.

"It's fine Master Bod, and sorry about not giving you a heads up but I have some pressing matters north of here and using that little portal we established between our guilds was the fastest way." replied Natsu as most of the people in the shockingly crowded guildhall looked at him without saying a word.

"If that's the case then you two should be on your way, but make sure to bring back that handsome mage of yours on your way back." stated Master Bob as he winked at Jellal, who felt the need to take off towards the hills and hide in the darkest cave he could find.

"I'll see what I can do, but Mystogan here is kind of a loner and only came back to give me sensitive information that we're now going to look into." he said while heading towards the exit with Jellal following closely behind.

"Was that really Salamander, the Master of Fairy Tail?" asked one of Blue Pegasus' customers that was currently in a booth with Hibiki.

"Why yes it was my Dear." answered Master Bob with a mischievous grin spreading across his lips as his guildhall soon erupted into complete chaos as everyone started to talk about the man that just left. All he could do was smile and fondly think back to his time at Fairy Tail where chaos like this was a common occurrence on a daily basis.

"The perfume of Salamander is only getting stronger." stated Ichiya as he sat down next to his Master with a smile as they both continued to watch their usually calm guild run wild.

"That he is, Makarov really knows how to pick them. To think that just a few short years ago he was only in the news for causing mass destruction on whatever job he was trying to accomplish. Now he's helping form the next generation of Fairy Tail mages and has already started his own family." replied Master Bob as he started to understand why Makarov enjoyed chaos like this every once and a while.

"Do you really believe they are all still alive like Salamander says?" asked Ichiya as he turned to look at his Master.

"Absolutely Ichiya, just one look into that kid's eyes is all I needed to know that they're still out there somewhere. And since we're now talking about them, how has our search been going?" he asked no longer having his usual smile that creeped out a lot of people who didn't know him.

"Unfortunately we haven't found any traces of them yet, but that's only because there's nothing to find yet. But thanks to all the work we've put into our early drake detection device, I'm confident that if they ever do reappear again we'll be the first ones to know." stated Ichiya as he went back to watching his group of mages trying to calm down some of their excited guests.

"Have you figured out how to not get them to go off on a dragon slayer?" he asked with an eyebrow raised curiously.

"Did you hear them go off when Salamander arrived?" asked Ichiya as a grin spread across his lips, proud that his mages were finally able to figure it all out and supply that information to the company that made most of the parts that they used in their design.

"No I didn't, and I'm surprised that the Council got that company to supply us with pretty much whatever we need at a fraction of their actual cost." stated Master Bob.

"Actually the Council only got them to barely drop their prices for us, but apparently it was then sold off and whoever the new owner is decided to help our efforts out." explained the perfume mage as he got off of his stool and decided to join in on the chaos that so rarely happened in their guild. If he had looked back at Master Bob he would have noticed a knowing look coming over the man's face as he shook his head and looked at the exit that Natsu and Jellal left through earlier.

 **An hour later and quite a few miles north of Blue Pegasus' guildhall:**

"I think I'm going to walk back on our return trip." stated Natsu as he looked a little green as Jellal chuckled at him.

"I thought you got over your motion sickness?" asked Jellal while grinning at the suffering dragon slayer.

"Only if I have something to completely distract myself with, and with how you were holding me I couldn't read a book for crying out loud!" he shouted as his normal complexion started to return to him.

"Good to see that you still have some weaknesses." stated Jellal not losing that grin of his for a second, that Natsu knew was there even if he could see it because of the cloth currently covering the man's face.

"So what do you wear when you're not, you know, wearing that getup?" he asked while getting down to his knees and inspecting the ground closely.

"Mainly a few different cloaks and other things to cover my hair and tattoo, which we both know are the easiest things to identify me by." answered Jellal as he watched Natsu slowly move around while still keeping close to the ground.

"You're telling me, everyone instantly spots me thanks to my salmon colored hair." he stated while standing back up and surveying the surrounding area carefully.

"You could just dye it, something that I think I'll probably do for these next few months since my imagine is still fresh in everyone's mind." said Jellal as Natsu started to sniff the air and turn to the south as he squinted his eyes to get a better few of something off in the distance.

"Not going to happen Mystogan." replied Natsu, which instantly caused Jellal to start looking around for possible enemies. "So why exactly did you think that a dragon slayer might be here?" he asked while still staring off in the same direction as before.

"You know those EDD devices that Blue Pegasus has been working on?" he asked while still being ready for a surprise attack from any direction.

"More than you probably know, but what has that got to do with you thinking that a dragon slayer is in the area?" Natsu asked back without looking at his current partner.

"As you already probably know, their first few models go off if a dragon slayer is in the area. And those models happen to be what is currently being used in the area, and given that there have been absolutely zero sightings of a drake soaring through the skies. It would be reasonable to suspect that either a drake has decided to not fly, which I highly doubt, or a dragon slayer is hiding out in the wild in these parts." he explained with a slightly smug look coming over his face.

"Well Mystogan my old friend I do believe it's time for us to go our separate ways then." stated Natsu as he started to do a few stretches.

"What in the world are you talking about Master Dragneel?" he asked only for Natsu to whip around and bring Jellal's head so that his ear was right next to the dragon slayer's mouth.

"You were correct, but unfortunately I am fairly certain that the Council got to here before we did." Natsu whispered into his ear. "But it appears that this hatchling of the Council's only scared off the other dragon slayer with his stomping around like an untrained buffoon." he finished and then separated as he turned back around and started to walk away.

"Are you sure Master Dragneel?" asked Jellal as Natsu continued to walk away from him.

"Absolutely Mystogan, so if anything else like this turns up again stop by the guild. Actually feel free to stop by the guild whenever you feel like it, maybe the triplets will be there and you can say hi to them." he said while giving the man a quick wave over his shoulder, and with one final smile Jellal took off in a flash and was gone.

"So what in the world is the famous Salamander doing way out here?" came the voice of a young man as he walked towards Natsu from in between the fir trees that were scattered all over the area.

"Oh nothing much, just one of my members detected what he thought was a drake so I decided to check it out." replied Natsu as he grinned at the man coming closer to him and got a good look at him. This dragon slayer was roughly the same build as what he used to be before the Tenrou Group disappeared but with blonde hair like Sting. He also had a slim frame but still ripped with muscles, yet not of the bulky type that most men obtain after working out a lot.

The first thing you would notice about his attire is the tannish slash slightly green jacket that he had opened currently. It didn't have a hood and it stopped at his waist with two pockets on the breast of it with a small Council patch clearly displayed on the left shoulder. But the thing that you would notice first was that both of the sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, with one of them looking like he might have chosen to do this after accidentally burning off one of them halfway up the forearm.

Underneath that he wore a plain navy blue t-shirt, that the only distinguishing feature were the occasional small holes burnt through it. Going down from there he had on a pair of blue jeans that were also like his shirt, in regards to having a few burnt holes in them that still had charred edges. The only other thing that stood out about his lower clothing was the silver chain that went from his brown leather belt and looped down only to go back up and connect to something in his right front pants pocket. And the final peace to his outfit was his pair of brown sneakers that surprisingly looked to be in really good condition and showed no signs of ever being burnt in their entire life time, unlike the rest of his outfit.

"Somehow I find that as a really odd coincidence." stated the blonde as he looked Natsu over, and instantly noticed that his outfit changed ever so slightly since the video he watched of him. Overall he would say that Natsu's outfit gained more protection and looked way more battle oriented than it did before because of it.

"You'd be correct about that…" replied Natsu as he gestured for the blonde to introduce himself.

"It's Daniel Arthstram." he said and was shocked to see Natsu smile at him.

"Well Danny, is it fine if call you that?" asked Natsu as he noticed Daniel start bearing his fangs at him.

"Only my friends can call me that." he hissed out while still bearing his fangs.

"Good to hear Danny, because I'm confident that we'll soon be great friends." stated Natsu as spun to the side, easily dodging an extremely sloppy punch thrown at him.

"We're not friends Salamander, and I'll never be friends with someone that completely disregards the Council." spat out Danny as he threw a few more punches at Natsu, who was dodging them with a bored look on his face.

"So are you saying that it would be better if I was dead, like the Council wanted and would've done if I listened to everything that they tried to get me and my guild to do?" he asked after catching a punch thrown at his face and holding it firmly as the new dragon slayer tried to break free.

"They wouldn't do something like that; they look after and protect all of the legal guilds in Fiore. And if you don't let go of me soon you'll definitely regret it." shouted Danny as he continued to try and break out of the vice like grip Natsu had on his hand.

"I have proof that the Council did some very illegal things to try and shut down Fairy Tail, which wouldn't really shock anyone given our track record with them. But something that definitely would upset the rest of the wizarding world and the Kingdom as well, is that they just sat back and watched my fellow guild members fight for their lives against Acnologia as they fled like the cowards that they are." he stated while giving the younger dragon slayer a deadly glare.

"Those are just lies!" screamed Danny as molten lava started to ooze from cracks that suddenly formed on his arms. The lava quickly formed a protective cover around his free fist that he then swung at Natsu's face with all of his might while yelling " **LAVA DRAGON'S MOLTEN FIST!** " but he was shocked to see that Natsu effortlessly blocked the punch with his left hand and now also had it trapped.

"I'm a lot of things Danny but one thing I'm not is a liar, unlike those fucking old geezers in the Council that you've been blindly following most likely for your entire life." he said while to Danny's horror started to crush his lava covered fist like it was nothing and almost making him scream out in pain. "So if you ever want to learn the truth about the people you're working for you know where to find me. Oh and I'm willing to throw down with you anytime you want to little hatchling." he stated, right before kicking him in the chest and launching him into a nearby tree that was almost ripped out of the ground from the impact.

Natsu was about to walk away when he could have sworn that he saw someone with black hair duck behind a tree. Thinking that they might just have a curious spectator he decided to focus on his other senses, but after doing this he was completely floored by getting absolutely nothing. So he came to the only conclusion that made sense for him at the moment, which was that his eyes were playing tricks with him. Something that he was hoping was currently happening as Danny started to get back up with a determined look in his eyes that had just a tinge of a feral beast in them as well.

So letting out a sigh Natsu turned to accept the challenge that he was really hoping he wouldn't have to go through, like what happened with Sting and Rogue. But thinking back it made sense that those two wouldn't question him being Alpha since they both looked up to him like a hero before they even met him. "I was really hoping that I wasn't going to have to send you back to the Council broken, but I guess it was bound to happen after they painted me as someone who was completely against them." stated Natsu as he rolled his neck and popped a few of his knuckles.

"We'll see about that Salamander." said Danny as both of his fists were slowly being covered by his lava as the tips of his blonde hair turned black and looked like they were smoldering.

"I guess we will." replied Natsu in a bored tone, not because the kid was weak by any means. Actually the kid was probably stronger than Cobra right now, but because of how inexperienced he was with any form of fighting. Something that Natsu had started to do as soon as Igneel found him, and he continued to do it every day from then after. Making what he and this lava dragon slayer were about to do, not much of a fight for him.

 **Outside Fairy Tail in the street right in front of it:**

"I've been waiting for this day for so long I honestly didn't know if it was ever going to come." said a figure in the middle of their group of five people. "And now that it's finally here, my only regret is that Makarov isn't here to watch his precious little family fall at my hands." he finished with a chuckle.

"Can I do it now Master?" asked the short, yet stocky figure of their group.

"Just give me a few more minutes to take it all in, because after we're done Magnolia will no longer have Fairy Tail watching over it." replied the man from before as a sinister grin spread across his lips as the rest of the group all looked at the guild hall with similar looks on their faces.

"You can do it now." he stated, and the next second numerous explosions went off inside of the Fairy Tail guildhall as they all watched on with glee as the top that had the large bell tumbled down as smoke billowed out of all the destroyed windows and the few new holes made in it.

 **End of Chapter**

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Thanks for reading and I hope you are enjoying the start of the next year that I've kicked off with a blast if you will. All terrible jokes aside I hope you're excited to find out who is attacking Fairy Tail and all of the other exciting things I have planned for this year for Fairy Tail. Such things as them possibly building a new guildhall after all of this gets settled, to other things like Natsu possibly slightly repairing their relationship with the Council some. Well that's it for this note and as I'm sure you all know already, feel free to leave a review or pm and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.**

 **Oh and if you would like me to update faster or possibly start a new story I have information about that on my profile page.**

 **Until the next Chapter**

 **Digem Out!**


	30. The Fight For Fairy Tail's Darkness

Ch 30: The Fight For Fairy Tail's Darkness

 **Fairy Tail after the Explosion:**

Pain filled moans could be heard from most of the members as they started to pick themselves up and try to figure out what just happened. Just seconds ago they were all just casually talking after their brawl ended with all the participants smiling about having fun with each other. Only for multiple explosions to go off at once, throwing most of the members around the guild hall like ragdolls, luckily they all happened to have trained with Natsu so the flames didn't cause them too much damage. Unfortunately that couldn't be said about the air pressure and debris that resulted from the unexpected explosions.

"Is everyone okay!" shouted Macao as he looked around the completely destroyed main room, that he was surprised to see was still standing after what they just went through. As he scanned it he unfortunately saw a few members trapped under various things that were launched all over the place thanks to the blasts. He also noticed that all of the members that were moving at the moment weren't in the best condition as they were coughing thanks to the smoke that hung in the air. But this only made the fire mage even more concerned about the members that weren't moving right now, most likely due to them being more injured than the rest.

But before he could make a move to start helping out, a loud clanging rung out as the building shook. This caused all conscious members to look in the direction of the noise, which gave them all enough time to watch their large bell smash through the roof of the side room that luckily wasn't occupied at the moment. The bell came noisily to a rest right in front of the door, blocking their way to that side of the guildhall if they wanted to ever go over there for some reason. They were all still in shock at the moment and remained were they were quietly for the next few moments.

"I need help!" shouted out a member as he started to try and lift a beam that fell onto a fellow guild member. This caused everyone else to finally snap out of it and start getting to work at saving their friends; well that is at least what their plans were at the moment. Until a blast of sand smashed into the face of the man that was trying to lift the beam, and at the same time four other members were hit by magical attacks coming from the front doors of the guild.

One of the members was grabbed around the throat by a whip like object of red flames and tossed into the ceiling, while a different one was hit in the back by violet spicks as she screamed out in pain and fell to the floor on her face. The other two members that got hit by this first round of attacks never saw it coming either, the first one was covered by something white for a few seconds and once he was revealed again he was severely injured. While the other one stopped suddenly and went pale before falling to the ground and passing out, now having very shallow breathing.

"We're under attack!" shouted out a member of Fairy Tail as they tried to ready themselves. But thanks to the smoke and the fact that most of them were still slightly dizzy from the blasts they didn't fare much better as the unknown assailants attacked again. This time revealing that it was just a group of five mages that were behind all of it, and that they were really enjoying themselves as they took on the rest of them with relative ease.

"Meredy-nee, please get up." said Liza after finally getting out of the protective hold Meredy had on her. But to the little girl's horror, her older sister made no indications of doing as she was asked which made Liza look around for someone to help her. Only now realizing that the guild was now a warzone as strangers were attacking her friends and family as fire and smoke was scattered all over the place.

"Help, Meredy needs help!" she cried out as tears started to pour down her cheeks. Thinking that it was all happening to her once again, just like it did that day when she lost her grandparents and met Natsu. But to her surprise a comforting hand could be felt on her shoulder, and as she looked up she was met with a caring smile from Macao.

"It's okay Liza, she's just passed out." he stated as the battle raged behind him. "Now I need you to do something for me that only a daughter of Master Dragneel can do." he said still smiling at her, glad to see a prideful look coming over the girl's face at being called the daughter of Natsu.

"What is it?" she asked only to flinch as a different member was thrown into a nearby wall and crumpled into a heap at the floor.

"I need to you to run as fast as you can to your house and get some help." he said while picking her up and setting her on her feet.

"Come with me." she said while grabbing his hand and trying to pull him with her, but the fire mage didn't budge as she looked up to see him giving her a slightly sadder smile than before.

"Sorry Liza but I have to help out here." he said as he easily broke out of her grip and purple fire started to swirl around him in a menacing manner. If the situation wasn't so frightening at the moment she would have thought it was almost as beautiful as her daddy's fire. She and the rest of the guild would have also been shocked at the power now coming from Macao Conbolt as he glared down the people that were attacking his home.

"Run Liza, **PURPLE RAIN!** " he shouted as an enormous amount of purple balls of fire went hurtling at three of the enemies. Who didn't count on someone still having some fight left in them after they were dealing with everyone else so easily.

"But.." whimpered out Liza.

"RUN!" shouted Macao without looking back as he continued to send more of his purple balls of fire at their opponents. This was the final push that little Liza needed to finally listen to him and take off for home as fast as her little legs could carry her.

"Don't let that brat escape!" shouted a man wearing a dark cape and seemed to be their leader.

"Yes Master." replied a short man with violet skin as he jumped after Liza, only for him to stop suddenly and fall flat on his face.

 **"PURPLE SNARE!"** stated Macao with a smirk as he then threw his right arm as if he tossing a heavy object at the other four. The next second the violet skin man was sent flying their way and hit the red haired girl and tallest member of their group. As their Master and the other man easily dodged their comrade, being tossed at them like a weapon. "I have no idea who you all are, but you've just made the worst enemies in your lives. **PURPLE WALL!** " shouted Macao as a large wall of purple fire sprung up behind him, effectively blocking off their route to chase after Liza. And at the same time half of the members of Fairy Tail that were already counted as down for the count got back up with pissed off expressions. None more than Meredy who eerily looked like a girl version of Natsu when he was done messing around and was out for blood.

"Kurohebi." stated the Master, and they were all shocked to watch the only other standing member of their enemies turn into sand and disappear. "As to who we are Macao Conbolt, father of Romeo Conbolt who just so happens to not be here today. We are Raven Tail, and have come to bring your precious little guild to its knees after we expose your darkness and take it for ourselves." he said as the other three members of this guild got back up and had creepy grins spread across their lips as they got ready for round two.

"ATTACK!" shouted Macao as both sides charged at each other.

 **With Natsu and Danny:**

"You do realize that I've been toying with you this entire time right?" asked Natsu as he swatted Danny's punch thrown at him and then followed up with two quick strikes to the younger dragon slayer's chest without any magic behind them. This didn't mean though that they didn't almost break the poor boy's ribs as he was sent skidding back ten feet.

"Lies, you're only trying to make yourself seem way above me." shouted Danny as he gritted his teeth and tried to come up with a plan of how to get past Salamander's defenses.

"Man, was I honestly this arrogant when I was your age?" Natsu asked himself as he leaned back to dodge another punch thrown at his face. But rather than just dodging it Natsu continued to go backwards until his hand met the earth, which then let him push off of the ground with his feet and bring one of his boots right under Danny's chin for a devastating blow that launched him into the sky.

This was almost enough to knock the poor lava dragon slayer out for the count, but considering that all dragon slayers seemed to be extremely stubborn he shook it off as he started to plummet back down to the ground. This caused him to start freaking out since he really didn't have any good way of coming down from a fall that high or this fast. But it seemed he should have been more concerned with the other dragon slayer that he challenged to a fight that he was clearly loosing right now. Something wrapped around his waist and then yanked him sideways, throwing him into a few dozen trees that snapped like twigs.

Danny let out a pain filled moan as he finally came to a stop at the base of a tree. He tried to get up, but he failed thanks to his arms being held down at his waist. Looking down he was stunned to see that a small chain was wrapped around him, thinking that it was just your ordinary chain he tried to break out of it but it turned out to be a futile effort on his part. Especially since he was once again hurtling through the air the next second, thanks to the chain wrapped around him, only for his chest to slam into Natsu's out stretched arm that sent him straight into the ground.

"I still haven't used any of my magic or weapons on you yet Danny." he stated with a smug look as he placed a foot on his chest and started to apply pressure.

"Then what in the fucking hell do you call these freaking chains?" spat out Danny as he tried once again to break out of them.

"Oh those, they are actually part of my newest weapon that I found in the pages of a really interesting book about our kind. Here I'll show you what they will look like once I go up against a drake that refuses to settle things peacefully with me." he said as the chain around his left arm started to unravel with one end of the chain firmly attached to his vambrace. And the other one going up to his hand that now held a menacing looking dagger that had a jagged edge on the front, with a large spike sticking out of the back where the hilt would usually be at.

"Now this looks more like a weapon doesn't it." he stated while twirling it now with the chain, getting to close for comfort in Danny's opinion.

"Yes, now let me out so we can fight like real dragon slayers." replied Danny as he glared up at Natsu.

"It's funny that you say that, because this little weapon here is actually what Dragon Slayers used in the great war. Because as I'm sure you of all people know, not every dragon slayer has the capability of flight so they needed a way to ensure they could remain in the air if their battles with dragons went up there. And this here was their solution to that problem, a little brutal if you ask me since it requires at least one of these blades to stick into the dragon they were battling." he explained after having the one blade stick into the ground right next to Danny's head.

"Thanks for the history lesson, now let me go so we can get on with our fight. Or are you not wanting to finish what we started for some shitty reason like trying to teach me something useful?" asked Danny, taking slight pleasure in Natsu losing his smile and replacing it with the starting of a sneer.

"I'm keeping you like this because during that thing you like to claim was a fight, I realized sending you back to the Council defanged and broken wouldn't do anyone any good." he replied, only to raise his eyebrow questioningly as he sensed the area getting a lot hotter with each passing second.

"That's the second time you claimed you could break me, and I know for a fact that you couldn't defang me." stated the lava dragon slayer as a sly grin spread across his lips.

"Shit, you sneaky little bastard." replied Natsu as a grin spread across his face while his chain wrapped around Danny went slack.

 **"LAVA DRAGON'S MIGHTY ERUPTION!"** he shouted out as lava blasted through the earth underneath the two of them and shot into the skies where it rained down on the surrounding area. Like a fiery inferno from the heavens, intent on reducing everything in a two mile radius to nothing but ash. As the pillar of Lava finally subsided all that remained there was a panting Danny as he looked around for any signs of Salamander, finding none he started to stagger away with a slight smirk.

"You didn't look at me as an equal and because of that you lost Salamander." he stated in between pants as he got out of the little crater he made with his volcano, which allowed him to look at what his attack left in his wake. Needless to say he now had a look of horror as lava was still raining down and starting fires all over the place, which he knew were only going to soon get bigger and cause this whole place to be up in flames in matter of minutes.

Falling to his knees as tears soon followed after and fell to the ground, realizing what he just did. Not only did he just kill the person that most of Fiore viewed as their hero and defender against drakes, he could have also possibly just killed who knows how many others with the falling lava and fire that resulted from it. And right before he was about to fall into a deep depression and self-loathing, his ears picked up the sounds of slurping. Quickly raising his head and looking into the direction of the sound he was shocked to see most of the fire in the area flying in that direction before they could get any bigger. Danny watched this continue on for a few minutes, only for all of the smoke in the area to follow after all the fire was gone; leaving the surrounding area to look like someone tried to start the place on fire more than a thousand time but had no such luck.

"What were you saying about me losing?" asked Natsu with a deadly glare sent at Danny who was still on his knees.

"Oh thank god I thought I kil…" he said with a smile only for his face to be smashed into the ground.

"You really think a hatchling like you could do something that numerous dark mages failed to do, along with forty different drakes that each one by themselves are deadlier than a whole dark guild all together." shouted Natsu as he picked up the young dragon slayer only to start smashing him back into the ground repetitively. Then with a smoke and flame covered fist he punched him square in the face and sent him flying almost outside of the area that was damaged by the lava that rained down.

"I really should just put you down right now before you go and do something like that again in a populated area." said Natsu as he slowly walked towards Danny who couldn't see straight after that last hit to the face, which also broke his nose.

"What the fuck were you thinking you little piece of shit?" he shouted out while picking him up and slamming him into a tree.

"I wasn't." choked out Danny.

"Damn right you weren't thinking." he shouted out now just an inch away from Danny's face. Allowing the younger dragon slayer to peer into his eyes and see the vast amounts of overwhelming emotions going through him right now, anger and concern where surprisingly the two Natsu was currently feeling the most right then. He was about to try and apologize to him, when he started to be overwhelmed by the immense amount of magic coming off from the person pinning him up against a tree.

"You want to see what you've been trying to fight for the past few minutes and thought you killed?" he asked with his eyes blocked by his pink locks that were only just barely getting past his scarf. All the while he was letting more and more of his magic out which was making it extremely hard for the other dragon to breathe. It was so hot that the plants around them started to shrivel up and die, but the trees unfortunately actually caught on fire.

Danny was trembling uncontrollably in his grasp, wanting nothing more than to get as far away from Natsu as physically possible. But it would seem that he was soon going to get a whole new thing to identify as true fear as Natsu lifted his head back up and locked eyes with him once again. This time though, Natsu's eyes were red and that of a dragon as fire and smoke started to swirl around him menacingly as more of his magical power was unleashed. So much so that anything not securely attached to the ground started to slowly float and hover in the air around the two of them.

"This Daniel Arthstram is what you were up against, this is what you just pissed off by not thinking about how easily you could have harmed someone else that had nothing to do with our confrontation." stated Natsu as tossed Danny away from him, who as soon as he hit the ground tried to back away but was having trouble thanks to his injuries.

"I'm only going to give you this one warning Daniel." he said while still getting closer to the cowering dragon slayer before him. "If you so much as accidentally harm an innocent civilian with a move like that again, I will hunt you down and literally pull those fangs of yours out after I've completely destroyed you and anyone trying to protect you from me." he finished while holding Danny's chin in his hand so he was force to look at him. This forced the quivering dragon slayer to see the outline of a proud red dragon glaring down at him right behind Natsu who was also glaring at him. Not being able to speak all Danny could do was nod his head yes in acknowledgement that he understood.

"Good to see that you at least can listen; now it looks like this little outburst of mine has drawn the attention of some worthy opponents. So you just stay there and watch, as what did you call it?" he asked while scratching his chin. "Oh yeah a real dragon slayer, so sit back and enjoy your personal show as to what a real dragon slayer is capable of." he finished with a snap of his fingers as the ground shook from two drakes landing in the direction that Natsu was heading towards.

Danny didn't think he could become more terrified of Natsu after what he just went through. But that was absolutely wrong as he watched him walk towards the two drakes that just arrived without a hint of fear or hesitation in his steps, heading straight towards a life or death situation. And he also realized right then how naive he was to think that he could easily face off against one of these mythical beasts like he intended to do without any real combat experience. So he made a decision right then that if he did make it out of here in once piece he was going to fix that about himself as fast as he could.

"Dragneel I presume?" asked the black drake with a little bit of grey on him, which also had grey flames burning on certain areas of his body. Places such as his claws and running down his spin all the way to the tip of his tail that had almost a spear like tip to it.

"You'd be correct with that Drake." he replied as he came to a stop just outside of the two drakes striking distance. "So what is it that you two are expecting to get, because if it's a fight? Let's just say that do to what happened a few moments ago I'd be more than happy to vent my frustration on the two of you." he said while rolling his shoulders in preparation for a fight.

"That will come later Dragneel, but first we need to have a few words with you." said the other drake that was a deep maroon in color, and so far gave no indication as to what element she was.

"That's a first." he stated with a smirk.

"No doubt Dragneel, but after your reputation it's only logical that we'd eventually want to discuss a few things with you. Such as what your current relationship is with that Monster and how much do you know about what's going on with our situation." said the first drake after he let out a jet of fire with a huff at the beginning.

"If you're talking about Acnologia, then I would say our current relationship is definitely enemies which won't change anytime soon." he replied with a scowl.

"And why exactly is that Dragneel, humans are known to do anything if it means they might survive a little longer." stated the female drake with a hint of disgust to her tone.

"That monster as you called him took away my friends and family for no other reason than him being bored from what I could gather. After which we fought and he thought that he killed me after giving me this nice little memento to remember him by." he said while running his fingers over the three scars that went across his left eye. "And I would have perished that day if a friend didn't decide to intervene and save my life from drowning. So I can say with absolute certainty that I will never side with him after what he's already done to me and my family." he finished with a determined look in his eye.

"It's a shame for us at least that he didn't finish you off back then." said the black drake with a smirk, only for the maroon one to smack him with her tail while sending him a deadly glare.

"Don't go and screw this up before we've even started." she hissed at him, and then slowly twisted her head back to look at Natsu. "And what exactly do you think would happen if you faced him again?" she asked while intently watching his every movement.

"Simple." he stated while standing there for a few moments in silence. "I'd kill him so his reign of terror finally comes to an end and he can't harm anyone else ever again." he said while looking her dead in the eyes with his eyes once again becoming those of a dragon. Definitely something that the two drakes took notice of as they then looked at each other with worried expressions for just a split second.

"That's quite the bold claim for even you Dragneel." said the male drake with a skeptical look as he looked the dragon slayer over.

"It's what my plans are if I ever see that bastard again, one way or another, after that fight one of us will be dead and I don't have any intentions of dying for a really long time." said Natsu in a confident tone.

"No drake ever intends to head into a fight thinking that they are going to lose, but that doesn't mean they don't know that they could very easily die during it." stated the female drake.

"I guess that's something we have in common then, but as I see it, me facing off against Acnologia is a good thing for your kind no matter how it shakes out. Isn't that correct, otherwise you wouldn't have been interested in what my intentions are if we ever meet again?" he asked with a knowing look.

"You'd be correct about that Dragneel, either way we are down one powerful enemy of our kind." replied the black drake with a grin. "But considering whom your father is and what you've shown you're capable of doing, some of us are thinking it might be smarter to no longer be enemies like we currently are." he finished still grinning at the dragon slayer.

"Considering that I still don't consider all of you my enemies, something that won't change any time soon. And that I've been trying to always settle things peacefully most of the time I'd be definitely up for some sort of truce." he said with a toothy grin of his own.

"Glad to hear that Dragneel, but as I'm sure you already know, we drakes are a very stubborn race that dislike most forms of change. None more than possibly siding with humans in any way shape or form, but desperate times call for desperate measures." replied the maroon drake in a solemn tone.

"Desperate times?" asked Natsu with a slightly confused look. "Is that why you all of a sudden started to show up in Fiore randomly?" he asked, now wanting to learn exactly what is going on.

"So you don't know what is going on around you." said the other drake with a slight frown.

"Considering your kind is not much for talking, can you really blame me on that?" he asked back with a slightly irritated look.

"That is no excuse for not keeping an eye out on what's going on elsewhere." she replied in an angry tone as she glared at him.

"You're correct, but I think you're forgetting that because of all the other drakes that came before you. I've been pretty busy making sure that they haven't gone on killing rampages across my country." he argued back, causing the black drake to chuckle.

"You sure have a mouth on you Dragneel, from what I've heard Igneel had one as well." he said with a smirk.

"Thanks I guess, so are you going to let me in on what caused your kind to leave your homeland for some reason and set your sights on Fiore?" he asked while looking up at the two drakes that seemed like they might be the first that he doesn't have to kill other than Inioth. This made him slightly wonder what the rock drake was up to since he couldn't go back to his own kind after failing to complete his mission along with the rest of his pack.

"Who said we've only been focusing on Fiore Dragneel?" he asked back still smirking as a look of realization flashed across Natsu's face, that then changed to one of anger.

"So you're telling me that you've attacked other countries." he stated through clenched teeth as his fists shook in rage.

"Calm down Dragneel, yes we have gone to other countries in search of possible places to set up nests. And unlike your country they put up very little fight and fled from the area that we claimed." she said in the hopes of calming down the dragon slayer before he did something they would all regret.

"And after that you've left the rest of the population alone?" he asked while still clearly in an agitated state.

"For the most part yes, but as you know, our hatred for your kind runs extremely deep. So there is of course a few drakes that get great enjoyment out of going out and causing a little bit of chaos every now and then, and it also serves the purpose of letting them know their place in the world." replied the black drake that then had to take a step back along with his partner, thanks to a burst of magic that shot from the dragon slayer before them.

"And what place is that exactly, because if you say under your foot then I think I might have to start doing something that will remind them what we're truly capable of." growled out Natsu as he glared at the black drake with pure hatred after hearing what he just did.

"I'm only telling you what they believe and what they are possibly thinking Dragneel, not all of us are that arrogant or quick to forget what happened in the great war. Which is why we've come here to speak with you and try setting up the ground works of a possible alliance between us in the future." he replied while stepping forwards and flaring up his own magic to show he wasn't going to be pushed around by Natsu.

"And judging by what I just heard, this alliance of ours won't be for all drakes and human now will it?" he asked trying to contain his anger at hearing countries outside of Fiore might be in utter chaos thanks to the drakes. This of course was something that he really should have realized if he wasn't so focused on what was happening in Fiore and more specifically protecting everyone at Fairy Tail.

"Unfortunately not Dragneel, at first it will most likely be between your country and all of the fire drakes since you're the hatchling of the Great Fire King Igneel. Of course even this will take a while since some of us are still upset with him for siding with the humans during the great war." answered the maroon drake as she too took up her old position now that he wasn't about to attack them.

"I've already ran into a few that were upset about that." he replied with a slight frown. "So how long are we talking about before this could possibly be set up and actually become reality?" he asked, hoping that it would be fairly soon.

"A few years at least." replied the black drake with a completely serious look on his face as Natsu looked at him like he was crazy.

"You've got to be shitting me, that is way too long. By that time I might have been forced to kill more than a hundred drakes." he stated, still hoping that this was just a not very funny joke the two drakes were pulling on him.

"Sorry Dragneel but something like this takes time, and actually the more drakes that you defeat during this time will only speed up the process. It will show them that you are worthy to take over the throne that is yours, thanks to Igneel having no other successors. And it truly pleases both of us to hear that you don't enjoy slaying our brethren, but unfortunately it's one of the only ways to get most of the other drakes to even consider following you." she explained with stern look sent his way.

"Seriously, what in the world made your kind like this?" he asked after letting out a tired sigh.

"Living with dragons like we once did a long time ago forced us to value only those that are strong and can make it on their own. At least that is the shortest and easiest way to explain why we drakes are the way we are." she replied with a sly grin.

"Makes sense, so I'm guessing there is some good reason for the hatred directed at all humans?" he asked, still having no clue as to why most of them hated humans with every fiber that they had.

"Indeed there is Dragneel, and it happened during the Great War. But that is something we can discuss later since there is nothing we can do to change it." replied the black drake as he got into a fighting stance that Natsu recognized after all of his fights with other drakes.

"But it might be helpful for me to know what happened so I can make sure it won't happen again." he said as both of his chains fell from his arms as a dagger appeared in each of his hands connected to the chains.

"Don't worry Dragneel, we would never allow something like that to happen again even if we become allies in the future." stated the maroon drake as she too got read for the upcoming battle.

"Still doesn't mean I don't want to learn about what happened." replied Natsu as he started to formulate his strategy against these two drakes, unfortunately still having no idea what element the maroon female had if any. "So I've never had a duel with your kind before, what are the rules since I assume there are at least a few of them?" he asked only to jump back as claws tore through the ground that he used to be standing on.

"There is only one rule Dragneel, we fight until one side can't fight or they admit defeat since there are two of us. And you better believe that it won't end after you just disable one of us." she answered while taking to the air as her partner continued to try and cut Natsu in half.

"This is my kind of fight." he stated while using the back swing of the black drake's slash at him to launch himself in the air at her with the help of his chain blades and flames shooting from his feet.

 **With Liza:**

She had just gotten to the edge of town the fastest she ever had on her own in her entire life, but she knew that it still wasn't fast enough. As she raced through town numerous citizens that were always friendly with her and Natsu whenever they saw them tried to ask her what was wrong. But she also knew that none of them could help her at the moment since the strangers that attacked were strong mages, meaning normal humans didn't stand a chance against them. So she just kept running for her home, not stopping to explain herself since she had to make it home where she knew some of the guild's strongest mages were at.

Liza felt terrible about being so rude to people that were only concerned for her and trying to help her, so she made a promise to herself that she would apologize later to them for it. Since that was definitely something that could wait until after the strangers were taken care of, which after seeing the forest that she lived in with everyone else seemed like it would only be a little longer until that happened. That is until she stopped in her tracks as a dust cloud formed in front of her only to disappear and reveal one of the strangers.

"And where exactly do you think you're going little missy? My master has some very important plans for the daughter of the famous Salamander." he said with a smile that made her want to turn and run the other direction. But she knew that she couldn't do that since Uncle Macao and the rest were counting on her to go and get help.

"Get out of my way!" she shouted at him while glaring at the man blocking her path.

"And if I don't little girl?" he asked in an amused tone as he started to laugh at her.

"Then I'll make you." she declared as both of her black gloves ripped apart as her arms became covered in grey scales with red marking as her finger nails became razor sharp claws. This of course caught the man that the leader of the strangers called Kurohebi off guard, which is what Liza was counting on as she charged him and landed a devastating kick to the same spot that gave Liza her first ever win against Sting. And just like what happened to Sting, Kurohebi fell to the ground in pain as Liza ran past him going faster than before thanks to the adrenaline pumping through her.

A few minutes later and she only had less than a fourth of her trip remaining before she reached her house, where she would be safe from all of this. But just as she thought this a large stream of sand hit her side and tossed her into a tree, causing her to scream out in pain. Looking up she saw the enraged face of the man she had kicked and hoped wouldn't be getting up anytime soon.

"You're going to pay for doing something like that you little bitch." he shouted as she was blasted into another tree by another stream of his sand, once again causing her to scream out as she tumbled around from his attack. "I don't care if I was supposed to bring you back unharmed to Master, I can't be blamed if you accidentally got hurt while you were trying to escape." he said with a wicked grin before attacking her once again without holding back in the slightest.

 **A few minutes later at the Dragneel Residence:**

"I can't get over how cute they are." stated Kagura as she smiled down at Asher in her arms as he let out a little yawn in his sleep.

"That's what you can't get over?" asked Kei with a skeptical look sent the sword mistress's way, who only nodded her head as she continued to rock Asher back and forth in his sleep. "What I can't get over is that you and Natsu had triplets." she finished while looking over at Ultear holding Ava at the moment, with a content smile spread across her face.

"We were extremely lucky." replied the time mage as she looked up at Kei still smiling. "And now we are already getting a good start on that big family Natsu wants." she said while looking back down at her daughter that looked so much like her.

"Please say he isn't already asking you to have more kids?" asked Kagura as she looked at Ultear with a blank expression as she waited for an answer.

"Oh no, he hasn't said anything remotely like that to me yet. I just know that he always wished he was part of a big family while he was growing up, which is what he got once he joined Fairy Tail. Something that our kids will also get to have, but why not let them also have a big family like Natsu and I didn't get to have." she replied while casting a loving gaze to Milo, who was currently asleep in Kei's arms.

"That's fine and all, but you two both should at least wait until you've had some more rest and things go back to normal around here." stated Kagura now having a very serious expression on her face. Only for her face to contort into one of anger, as the front door sounded like it was just kicked off its hinges.

"Normal is something that Fairy Tail mages rarely experience in their lives from what I've experienced so far." she said with a little laugh as the triplets surprisingly didn't wake up from the noise coming from the other room. But that wasn't going to last since the next second the door to the nursery that they were in was thrown open by an out of breath Sting, with an equally tired Rogue behind him. And just like that all of the triplets were wide awake and crying thanks to being awoken so abruptly.

"You better have a good explanation for bursting in here like that you two." declared Kagura as she gave the two a quick glare that meant extreme pain if they didn't give her a worthy explanation in the next ten seconds.

"Explosions… Screams… Liza…" panted out Sting, not cowering from Kagura's glare like he usually does.

"What are you saying?" asked Ultear, now really concerned for more than a few reasons. But it seemed like Sting wasn't going to be able to keep talking, luckily for him his partner was able to help explain now that he caught his breath.

"A little while ago some explosions went off in Magnolia, so we decided to start heading back here to see what was going on. And along the way we picked up the faint sound of someone screaming out in pain, I couldn't tell who it was. But on the last one we heard Sting was confident that it was Liza that screamed out, is she here?" explained Sting as he already knew she wasn't her since he couldn't smell her, but he looked around in hopes that he was wrong and couldn't smell her because of the smelly diapers.

"Oh no, Cobra thought he heard someone scream too." said Kinana as she and Cobra came out of his room to see what all of the ruckus was about.

"Could you tell if it was Liza?" asked Kei with a worried look coming over her face as she still tried to get Milo to settle down.

"I can only say that it was definitely a girl, and I also heard some explosions going of earlier but figured it was someone in town getting rid of an old building." he replied while exiting the room with all of them following after him as he started to put on his coat.

"You don't think drakes could have launched a surprise attack?" asked Kagura, not being able to come up with any other explanation at the moment.

"The sirens didn't go off and Salamander isn't beating the shit out of one of them as we speak so no. But now that I'm focusing it sounds like some serous fighting is going down at the guild." he said while opening the front door and having a very upset expression coming over his face as he looked in the direction of the guild.

"They need our help then." stated Kinana as she and the other two dragon slayers went out the front door after Cobra.

"You three stay here and I'll handle it." he stated, expecting them to listen to him but he honestly should have known that Sting and Rogue weren't going do as he told them to.

"Like hell we will sit this one out, someone hurt Liza and possibly others at the guild and I'm going to make them pay." declared Sting with a determined look, no longer looking in the least bit tired like he did just moments ago.

"Nobody messes with our friends." stated Rogue, who for once was showing some emotions which just so happened to be anger right now.

"Fine, but you should at least stay here Kinana." he said only for her to run past him.

"You're not the only one that can fight for the things you care about Eric!" she shouted back to him as Sting and Rogue instantly caught back up with her.

"Cobra she's a very capable mage now that she's been training with Natsu and you for a few months now." said Kei, hoping that this would put his mind at ease.

"I know, which is why I wanted her to stay here with you three just in case they send someone here." he snapped back at her, only for a small tingle to go up his spine as he slowly turned to look at Kagura face to face.

"If anyone tries to hurt the triplets, there won't be any remains left of them after I'm through with them." declared Kagura as she held a startled Asher with one arm as the other one was clenched on the handle of Archenemy.

"See Cobra, we'll be fine on our own. So please go with them and make sure Liza and everyone else is alright." said Ultear as she gracefully took Asher away from Kagura, so the woman was completely ready to fight off anyone stupid enough to come out here and face her.

"Fine, I'll send someone back to fill you all in as soon as I know what's going on." he said before taking off after the rest of them heading towards Magnolia.

"I sure hope everyone is alright." mumbled Kei as she watched Cobra disappear in the trees like the other three did before him.

"I'm calling Master." stated Kagura as she pulled out a communication lacrima and started to patrol around the house. All three of them were thinking the same thing at the moment, please for the love of god let him be able to pick up the call.

 **At the guildhall:**

Two screams of pain rang out through the guildhall as Meredy crashed into a pillar, one from her and the other came from the violet man that they found out during the battle went by Nullpudding who was linked with the sensory mage. "Stop it god damn it!" shouted Macao as he struggled to get back up and coughed up a little blood.

"And why would I do that?" asked the black bearded man and leader of the group of dark mages attacking them.

"Because you're hurting your own member." he hissed out in anger as he glared up at the man.

"I honestly couldn't care less about something as small as that." replied the man before sending a swarm of his paper dolls at the downed Meredy who let out another scream along with Nullpudding.

"Master please stop." pleaded the woman called Flare as she shrunk under the glare that she was now receiving from her Master.

"As you can see Macao, my guild doesn't hold the same values as your pathetic guild does. So you have no chance of beating us, so start telling me what I want to hear or your friends are going to suffer more than they already have." stated the man with a cruel grin spread across his face as two more members of Fairy Tail fell to the ground. Looking like they just had all of their energy sucked out of them, something that they figured out was due to the tall blue skinned member wearing a top hat and had yet to say anything so far.

"Then fucking ask already!" shouted Macao only to receive a swift kick to the head that sent him flying backwards and into the bar.

"It seems like my father didn't teach you sorry excuses for mages how to talk to your superiors." he said as his grin got bigger as he watched Macao slowly figure out who he was.

"No way, it couldn't be." stammered out the fire mage, but before he could say anymore he was smashed into the floor with the foot keeping him pinned down.

"Yes Macao, the one that brought Fairy Tail to its knees is the one that should have rightfully become the next guild Master. But that fool of a man couldn't see that his ways were too soft and he always valued the bonds that he always preached about." he said while breaking into a maniacal chuckle. "He should have been more focused on getting rid of the weak, making sure that something like this couldn't happen. A concept that even my worthless son could apparently see was pointless, but he was also too weak and got taken down by Salamander of all people. A man that believes in the same things like my father did, t it just makes me so sick at how similar those two are to each other!" he shouted while applying more pressure to Macao who was struggling to not scream out in pain.

"Just ask your questions already Ivan!" hissed out Macao through clenched teeth as he glared up at the man.

"Where is it?" asked Ivan as he locked eyes with the man beneath him.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." replied Macao, which then turned into a pain filled scream as white paper dolls started to hit him all over.

"You were the temporary Master of Fairy Tail, so it stands to reason that you would know the location of Fairy Tail's Heart." he stated while glaring down at the severely beaten man underneath him.

"I still don't know what you're talking about." replied Macao as he got up into a sitting position since Ivan was no longer holding him down with his foot.

"We'll see about that Mr. Conbolt, Nullpudding go and bring his son here. Maybe that will loosen up Mr. Conbolt's tongue a little more." he said with a smirk as a look of complete and utter horror came over Macao.

"Yes Master." responded Nullpudding before falling to the ground and screaming out in pain as he clutched his right leg as if he had just lost it.

"You fucking leave him alone!" growled out Meredy who they were all surprised to see had one of her own swords sticking out of her right leg. She somehow seemed to be able fight through the pain as she glared them all down as Nullpudding continued to scream like a baby.

"Impressive little lady, but considering that you used to be one of the Seven Kins of Purgatory, going to these lengths makes sense and I'm wondering why you didn't do something like this earlier." said Ivan as he looked back at her with an amused grin. "Is it that you've gone soft after being in this guild for just a few years?" he asked while cocking his head to the side questioningly.

"Far from it, I've realized the value of life while here and so much more. Clearly something that you never learned before you got expelled I assume." she spat out, causing the members of Raven Tail to flinch in anticipation of what their Master would do to her. Especially Nullpudding who was currently linked with her, so it's needless to say that they were all shocked when he burst into uproarious laughter that seemed to take him forever to stop.

"You are definitely taking after Salamander little lady. He always likes to spout out nonsense to his opponents like that, not caring for a second that it might cause himself more pain in the long run." he chuckled back to her with an amused look on his face.

"And every time after that he then goes and kicks their ass." she stated with a small sneer.

"True, but you're nowhere near his level. And we both know that you won't be able to do more than keep Nullpudding here like you are." he said as he looked back towards Macao with a serious look. "Where is it?" he asked again.

"I've already told you Ivan, I've got no idea what you're talking about." replied Macao, and the next second a few more members that were already taken down looked like they were reduced to a worse state thanks to the strange blue man.

"And I don't believe you Mr. Conbolt, since every Master of Fairy Tail learns of it. So Obra here is going to keep getting rid of your member's magic." he said while gesturing to the tall blue skinned mage in a top hat. "Something that you know isn't good for them, and the only way to get us to stop is by telling us where Fairy Tail's Heart is even though it would be more accurate to call it your Darkness." continued Ivan as he walked towards a different guild member of Fairy Tail and kicked him hard in the face, sending the already knocked out mage flying into a wall.

"I seriously don't know, and it's probably because I was only a temporary guild Master!" shouted out the fire mage, hoping that their reinforcements would be showing up anytime now.

"Maybe you're correct, but I'm not leaving here until I have it." he replied while heading to a different mage that was soon going to be on the receiving end of his wrath.

"Then why don't you just wait for our true Master to return?" shouted out Meredy who now had a smug grin on her face. "Oh yeah, you are too much of a coward to face him since he could easily mop the floor with your sorry excuse for a guild." she stated with a little chuckle, as Ivan rounded on her with a look of rage that he had yet to show any of them.

"Is that what you truly think girl?" he asked while his Shikigami started to gather around him.

"Yep and so does everyone one else here, I am betting that probably even your own mages do. I mean why else would you attack like you did when most of our mages are gone? And more importantly when he isn't here like he usually is." she answered only to let out a scream of pain as she was now being constantly hit by his Shikigami.

"Master please no more." begged Nullpudding as he crawled towards him.

"If this is too much for you than you're going to be begging for death once he or any of the other dragon slayers get here." said Meredy before another barrage of attacks were sent her way and elicited another round of screams from her and Nullpudding.

"Meredy-nee!" screamed out Liza as she was dropped to the floor, tied up and clearly worse for wear.

"Liza, what the hell did you do to her!" shouted Macao as he tried to get up but was hit back down by Flare's flaming red hair.

"I just taught the little bitch a lesson." replied Kurohebi with a smirk, which was quickly wiped away as he was assaulted by his Master's Shikigami.

"You fucking idiot!" shouted Ivan as he continued to brutally attack his own member. "WHAT PART OF NOT HURTING HER DIDN'T YOU UNDERSTAND?" he asked while continuing to attack him.

"I'm sorry Master, she kicked me in the balls and almost got help." whimpered Kurohebi as he continued to take his beating without even trying to block it.

"You better pray that we're done before he returns or you might have just signed all of our death warrants." he said while no longer attacking him and turning back to Meredy and Macao, the only two members of Fairy Tail other than Liza that were still conscious somehow.

"Why are you afraid of him so much?" asked Kurohebi as he got back up and dusted himself off. But before Ivan could reply Meredy decided to enlighten the man about the grave mistake he just made.

"He's afraid because Natsu is at the Wizard Saint level, something that even he knows he won't be able to stand against if he's upset. Something that you ensured to have happen as soon as he smell's Liza's blood that you've spilt." she explained with a grin, making all of the members of Raven Tail turn to their Master who made no signs of disputing Meredy's claim. And before any of them could say anything an infuriated roar echoed throughout the air, causing most of them to have scared looks as Macao started to chuckle.

"It looks like you all about pissed yourself after hearing that, and do you want to know what the best part about that is?" he asked while looking up at the members of Raven Tail with a smirk. "That wasn't even him who just let out that roar, it was one the twins which means that soon you'll have at least three really pissed off dragon slayers here. And when Master Dragneel comes, well let's just say that you'll definitely know he here." he finished with another little chuckle and moan of pain.

"You couldn't even get her without alerting the rest of those monsters?" asked Ivan as he glared daggers at Kurohebi, who could only shake his head no and hope that his punishment would be swift. "Alright, it looks like we're going to have to move onto our back up plan." he stated with a wicked grin sent at the three Fairy Tail members, who really didn't like seeing that look of a cornered animal in his eyes.

 **With Danny and Natsu:**

During the fight that Danny was pretty much forced to watch, his opinion of Natsu changed once again. He still was scared of the man to death, but after watching him take on these two drakes all alone he respected the hell out of him. And he might actually be starting to look up to him as a role model that he hoped to one day surpass if the fire and smoke dragon slayer ever stopped growing in power and skill. Something that he honestly didn't think would happen, especially after watching him noticeably increase in his skill with those chain blades of his during the fight that was currently still happening.

Danny still couldn't wrap his head around the fact that Natsu had two elements, and with either one he was confident that he didn't have a chance against the older dragon slayer. But somehow Natsu had them both and seemed to blend them together flawlessly, favoring his flames more since it was clearly the one that he was more used to using. While his smoke was mainly used at evading attack that looked like they were going to land, he also used his smoke to distraction the drakes and overall just annoy them. And he could also just use them to enhance his attacks, which he did more often than Danny thought he would.

Overall though the younger lava dragon slayer couldn't help but admire the deadly dance that was unfolding before his very eyes. A dance that went to the skies, only to be brought back crashing to the ground where it didn't let up for a second. Just one small misstep could be the difference between life and death, of what wasn't supposed to be a life or death battle. But considering who was taking part in it, there was no way either side was going to pull any of their attacks since this was meant to be a test for all of them.

 **"FIRE DRAGON'S SMOLDERING TALON!"** shouted Natsu as he brought down a smoke and flame covered foot down onto the top of the black drake's head. This caused the drake's head to be sent to the ground before he could get back up from the last attack sent his way just moments ago. Natsu gracefully landed in front of the slightly dazed drake with a huge smirk spread across his lips.

"Give up Kelroth." he said while twirling one of his chain blades, that without warning he launched to his right side while rolling to the left. This sudden action of his elicited a pain filled roar from his other opponent that was hoping she could take advantage of him trying to finish off her partner.

"Never Dragneel, not while I'm still capable of fighting you." growled out Kelroth as he got back up only to let out a deeper growl as he stared at the sight in front of him. Somehow in the last few seconds Natsu managed to lodge one of his chain blades into the cheek of Lennalth's right side, and then wrapped his chains around her mouth like a muzzle with him struggling to keep her jaws closed.

"Well Kelroth." he grunted out, still clearly struggling against Lennalth's might. "Then I guess Lennalth here is going to have to pay the price." he stated while reaching for his sword with his other hand. But before he could even pull it off his back, both he and Lennalth were tackled to the ground by Kelroth and sent tumbling for a few yards.

"If you ever threaten her again like that Dragneel I'll tear you to shreds." growled out Kelroth as his entire body was now covered in his grey flames as he stood in between Natsu and Lennalth protectively.

"Shit, she's your mate!" shouted out the dragon slayer as he glared back at the menacing looking drake in front of him. "Why in the blazing hell didn't you tell me something like that right away? I would have never threatened her like that if I knew you were mates!" he shouted out, only for Lennalth to speak up.

"We didn't want to possibly ruin our test." she replied while nuzzling her head against Kelroth, which instantly caused him to calm down as his flames receded back to where they usually were on his body.

"That was fucking stupid of you two, I almost went for a fatal blow there since neither of you two seemed to stay down." he stated while shaking his head at them, but still making sure they couldn't get the drop on him.

"But you didn't, and I'm guessing it's because of what you noticed while we were fighting isn't it?" she asked with a knowing look sent his way.

"I had my suspicions since you were both willing to take a hit for the other, but that doesn't mean you're mates in the human world." he replied with a scoff as he put his blades away, sensing that their battle was done. And boy was he extremely thankful for that since these two were definitely the most well-coordinated duo that he has yet to face off against so far. Probably because they were mates and could tell what the other one was planning on doing almost before they even knew themselves.

"Interesting, humans are willing to risk themselves for other humans that aren't even their mates." said Kelroth as if this was something completely foreign to him. "I guess that somewhat explains some of your earlier actions that perplexed us." he said while smirking at the dragon slayer.

"It's one of the good things about them, and are you trying to say you wouldn't do the same thing for one of your hatchlings?" asked Natsu as he leaned up against a tree that was snapped at his shoulder height.

"You know that we would Dragneel, and it's good to confirm that you at least understand more about us than most of the slayers before you did." stated Lannalth with a grin as her tongue started to lick the most recent wound she received from him just moments ago.

"Really, because I've gotten most of this from a book written in draconic? And I thought that it was just the records from the previous generations of Dragon Slayers." he stated with a skeptical look.

"Maybe, but I believe it was more than likely written by a dragon that intended for it to be given to their dragon slayer. If it ever was really passed down will most likely remain a mystery, but I'm glad a dragon slayer such as yourself obtained it." she said with a smirk.

"So does this mean that we've got a temporary truce at least between the three of us?" he asked while looking between the two of them.

"Yes it does Natsu Dragneel, son of the Great Fire King Igneel, the next time we meet will hopefully be with the terms of our alliance." answered Kelroth in a booming voice, that sounded slightly like the drake was proud of him for some reason.

"Glad to hear, so where should we meet up at since I would prefer it if we didn't do it in a populated area?" he asked with a sheepish grin.

"Since we don't know when this will be we can't really pick out a spot now can we Dragneel?" asked Lannalth with a little chuckle.

"You've got a point there, but I would hate for you two to be attacked while you're just trying to get to me so we can have a discussion." he stated, only for the two drake to burst into laughter at his concern for them. "Hey, you two could honestly get hurt if you went to the wrong area, which I assume would pretty much completely destroy what we're trying to get going here." he shouted at them with an upset expression.

"Don't worry Dragneel, we won't let something like that happen." said Kelroth with a smug grin. "And we'll be able to find you no matter where you are when the time comes, a scent such as yours is one that we won't soon be able to forget." said Lannalth as the two drakes separated their heads from each other.

"I'm guessing that I really don't have a say in this do I?" he asked, which caused them both to start laughing at him as they shook their heads no. "Well if that's the case then I guess I'll see you two in a few years." he stated while turning away from them and started to walk towards Danny who was still in the same spot he was before all of the fighting even started.

"It's never a good idea to turn your back on potential threats Dragneel." pointed out Kelroth, only for a flaming blade to wiz past his left eye and then watch it swing back to land in Natsu's open hand as the chains coiled around his vambrace.

"I've already learned that lesson the hard way Kelroth, but thanks for the reminder even though you two are no longer threats. If you were than neither of you would still be breathing." he replied while still walking away from the two drakes that had stunned looks spread across their faces.

"And we don't doubt that Dragneel, but make sure that your kindness doesn't become your undoing." said Lannalth as she continued to watch him, confident that she and Kelroth were making the correct decision today by siding with the son of Igneel.

"I'll try Lannalth, but no promises on that since it's just part of who I am." he responded while giving them a quick grin over his shoulder.

"He's even more impressive than what the rumors say." said Kelroth as he and Lannalth took to the skies.

"What did you expect from someone who fought that Monster and lived to tell the tale, while also somehow making him actually bleed." she replied with a smirk as they disappeared from Danny's sight, who couldn't help but be mesmerized by them as they took flight like the majestic beasts that they are.

"So are you going to call the Council or do you really want me to drop you at their doorsteps?" asked Natsu as he looked down at him with a stoic expression.

"I-i-i-I c-can call t-them m-myself S-Salamander." he stuttered out while not being able to look directly at the dragon slayer who put him in his place.

"Good, because it would really be a shame for the Country to possibly lose one of its few defenders against the drakes. Which as you heard are at least still going to be a problem for the next few years, and possibly even after that since it looks like only the fire ones will align with us." replied Natsu as he started to seal the few small cuts that he got from his battle, while also checking out the rest of his gear for any damage.

"Don't you mean you?" he asked just above a whisper.

"What exactly do you mean by that Daniel?" asked Natsu as he looked at the other dragon slayer with a look that meant he was going to get an answer one way or the other.

"Well, at least from what I heard from your discussion with those two is that they were forming an alliance with you. Due to you being the son of Igneel and the fact that you've already proven yourself as a fierce warrior that shouldn't be taken lightly." he explained in a slightly more confident tone.

"Shit, I guess you're right." replied Natsu as a devious grin spread across his face. "Just one more reason for the Council to get upset with me." he chuckled out while shaking his head.

"And why would they be upset with you forming an alliance with the fire drakes if it means less citizens will be in danger?" asked Danny with a really confused expression.

"Wow, you really haven't been out much have you?" he asked with a look of pity sent the lava dragon slayers way. But before Danny could give an answer, Natsu decided to explain why the Council wouldn't be fans of this latest development. "Out in the real world Daniel there are only a few things that most humans respect and put value in. One of them being jewels, while the other one that definitely matters more in my opinion is the power that someone has." he said, only for Danny's face to still look like he was slightly confused.

"Then shouldn't they respect you since you're extremely powerful?" he asked with a hopeful expression, thinking that he finally figured out what his elder was trying to tell him.

"Oh most of them are probably terrified at what I'm capable of, but there are different forms of power other than one's magical capabilities. Oh and if you ever want to show yourself you're more than welcome to!" said Natsu, while raising his voice for the last sentence.

"Who are you talking to?" he asked with a raised eyebrow since he couldn't detect anyone else within at least a mile of them.

"That's none of your concern Daniel, unless they decided to show themselves which I don't think they will do anytime soon." replied Natsu as he pulled out a busted communication lacrima, causing him to mumble a few curses about them being too easy to break.

"What are the other powers that you were talking about before?" asked Danny as he finally staggered to his feet.

"That's kind of hard to explain since there are so many different forms of power, and it all really depends on who you're asking. An example of a different power would be what I'll eventually have if the fire drakes only plan to listen to me like you are suspecting them to do. If that happens then the Council wouldn't want to do anything to me since it could possibly cost them the alliance I'm working for." he explained while dropping the broken lacrima and looking in his pocket dimension for a new one.

"I guess that makes sense, but I still don't believe that the Council would be upset about any of this or even think about trying to take you out." stated Danny with a confident expression, that was slightly shaken by Natsu laughing really hard at what he just heard.

"Oh man Daniel, I've already told you that I've got proof of them already trying to do that to me and my guild. Which I can show you if you ever stop by the guild, but I think a better way for you to figure out who you're working for exactly would be to tell them what happened after I handed you your ass." he said with a smirk as he realized he forgot to stock up on more communication lacrima's.

"Fine, I will Salamander!" shouted Danny as he glared at the pink haired man in front of him.

"And when you do you'll realize that everything I've been telling you is the truth. But I am now realizing that I might have made it sound like everyone working for the Council is like that, when it is actually far from it." he stated while starting to head back towards the town that Blue Pegasus's guildhall was in. "Some of their highest members are like that, and are only concerned about their titles and other irrelevant things. While on the other hand there are others that are just trying to make the country a better and safer place to live. So I guess it's up to you to figure out which ones you're answering to, and I really hope it's some of the good ones." he said, giving Danny a quick wave over his shoulder as he headed into a denser area of trees.

Natsu continued to walk without making barely any noises for the next few minutes, only stopping once he could see Blue Pegasus's guildhall in the distance. "I don't know how you're this stealthy, but this whole following me around since I beat up that other dragon slayer is kind of getting annoying. So why don't you come out so we can have a proper introduction?" he asked, only getting a quiet breeze in response.

"Fine, have it your way. But I'm soon going to be heading to Blue Pegasus, and from there I'll be teleporting back to my guild which will stop you from trailing me like you are. So if you want to continue whatever this is then feel free to swing by Magnolia, maybe we can actually have a real conversation then." he said while starting to walk again.

"Oh and if you do, then you can meet three other dragon slayers that are friends of mine." said Natsu with a little smirk on his lips as he heard a faint gasp float along with the breeze that tussled his hair.

 **At Fairy Tail:**

"Master I think he might be telling you the truth." stated Flare as she looked at Macao with pity. The fire mage was even worse for wear than he was earlier, but now his eyes had a vacant look to them as he looked down at the lifeless body of one of their newer members. The only other conscious member was a wailing Liza crying in the corner next to Meredy, who after witnessing one of her guild members being killed completely lost it and had to be drained of her magic.

"It would seem that you're correct Flare, which is quite the shame since this means we'll have to wait for Salamander to return." replied Ivan with a little chuckle as a sinister grin spread across Kurohebi's face.

"Does that mean what I think it means?" he asked while pulling out a knife and twirling it.

"Yes it does Kurohebi, but this time make sure you don't harm her until I tell you to." stated Ivan, which caused the man he was talking with to jump over to Liza and pick her up by her hair. He was clearly enjoying the pain that he was inflicting on her as he put his knife to her throat.

"Now be a good little girl and shut the hell up." he hissed in her ear as he set her down on the only table upright in a rough manner.

"You'll pay for this." came the quiet voice of Macao, whose head was now facing the floor.

"Will we Mr. Conbolt? Because to me it looks like none of your precious little dragon slayers are willing to come in here after seeing we weren't joking about killing one of your members. And since we have plenty more in here just waiting to be killed at a moment's notice that won't change anytime soon." said Ivan in a gleeful tone as he walked to the entrance and waved in the direction that was just leaking with killing intent towards them.

"Once Natsu gets here you'll all be begging for death." he stated still in quiet voice.

"You're forgetting about us having his precious little daughter, so if he so much as looks at us funny she'll be the one in trouble." replied Ivan with a grin as Kurohebi started to chuckle like a mad man.

"That alone would have been enough for him to be out for your blood, but now you've gone and done something that even he can't forgive you for." he said, before screaming out in pain as he was kicked across the room and crumpled into a heap.

"I will never understand how you all have so much faith in that freak you call a guild Master. So I can't wait until we have him kneeling before me and begging for mercy after he's given me everything I want." said Ivan as he grabbed one of the few intact bottles of booze and started to drink from it as he took a seat next to Kurohebi. As they all waited for the arrival of the current and possibly last guild Master of Fairy Tail.

 **A few minutes later at the Dragneel Residence:**

The three women currently there were extremely worried since they had yet to hear back from Cobra, and to make matters worse they couldn't get into contact with Natsu. But all of that didn't matter to them as they all were currently looking in shock at Magnolia that had its sirens blaring the signal for a drake attack as a large pillar of flames was shooting high into the night sky from the location of their guildhall.

"Oh no!" said Kei, who could even tell from this distance that Natsu had just reached a whole new level of anger.

"I truly pity whoever caused him to react like this." stated Ares, since this was leaps and bounds past how he reacted to her when she hinted at possibly getting rid of Ultear.

"I, I don't even know what to say." mumbled Kagura as she too could feel the same anger that Kei and Ares did. But unlike the two of them she had never really experienced Natsu in a state even close to this; the only time that could come even close to this was possibly when he was dealing with Jiemma during the first Grand Magic Games. Although she could tell that this time it was so many times worse than what occurred at the game, which had her worried that he might kill whoever set him off.

"Please don't do anything that you'll regret later on Natsu." whispered Ultear as she clutched her heart while gazing at the pillar that was slowly shrinking down in size. Feeling his current magic, caused her to think back to when he had a similar reaction which was the disappearance of the Tenrou Group. And realizing this made her become even more concerned for her two daughters and guild members that were at the guild.

 **In the forest outside of a tee that had a door and few windows in it:**

The guild's unofficial medic stopped at her doorstep as soon as she felt his magic spike up to heights that she didn't know he was capable of. She slowly turned around and saw the unnatural glow emanating above the tree line in the direction that the Fairy Tail guild hall was located in, confirming what she feared. So with speeds that didn't suit her age she raced into her house and grabbed her go bag and a few other things.

As she raced back out of her house she couldn't help but dread what she might find once she made it to Fairy Tail. "Natsu you idiot, they need you more than they know so please don't do anything rash." she thought as she sped towards Magnolia at a fast pace for someone of her advanced age.

 **End of Chapter**

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it at least half as much as I enjoyed writing it. So the next chapter will have the resolution of this little confrontation I've concocted between Fairy Tail and Raven Tail. Once I'm done with that I'll probably wrap up the rest of the year and hopefully set up things for the next year that should also be pretty interesting with what I've got planned for it as of right now. So as I've said before in previous notes this story is focused on the years where the Tenrou Group are gone, so if you have anything you think might be interesting to read about there is only so much time left for it. Such things as possibly devoting a chapter to Natsu spending time with his family and closer members of the guild, to something like possibly him interacting with a character that usually doesn't get much screen time in other stories. Well that wraps up what I've got to say for these notes, so don't hesitate to leave a review or pm and tell me your thoughts on this chapter or story so far.**

 **Oh and if you would like me to update faster or possibly start a new story I have information about that on my profile page.**

 **Until the next Chapter**

 **Digem Out!**


	31. Harsh Reminders

Ch 31: Harsh Reminders

 **April 26th X788 at the Fairy Tail Guildhall:**

Over the last few minutes the members of Raven Tail were having the time of their lives, drinking and laughing how easy it was for them to take out the number one guild in the country. Granted they knew that most of their stronger members weren't there when they attacked, but that was part of their plan. And seeing how even after those members returned, there was little for them to do since Raven Tail showed that they weren't messing around and wouldn't hesitate to kill off their hostages. So at the moment they were all feeling pretty good about themselves and were starting to wonder why they didn't just do this right away.

That is until they felt the reappearance of a strong source of magic behind the guild, which brought their celebrating to a halt as they got ready for the final part of their plans. At least that was their initial plans, but as the magical pressure started to rise from that person a few of them were having second thoughts about it. Especially when all of them but Ivan started to have trouble breathing and couldn't stand the heat that sky rocketed to unbelievable temperatures in a matter of seconds.

"What the hell is that?" asked Flare as the whole guild started to shake and she was trembling uncontrollably .

"That's the person you all just pissed off." coughed out Macao as he tried to get into a sitting position.

"Oh dear god, I knew we shouldn't have waited for him to show up!" shouted out Nullpudding, who was definitely the most severely beaten member out of his whole guild.

"Shut the hell up Nullpudding, are you forgetting that we have his daughter!" shouted Kurohebi as he pressed his knife a little harder against Liza's skin, who was no longer crying anymore and actually had a small smile spread across her lips.

"Kurohebi's right, Salamander has nothing when we've got his precious guild and family at our mercy." replied Ivan, only to let out a small yelp of surprise as the back wall was blasted wide open. And the surrounding area started to melt from the sheer heat coming off of the man now standing before them with a murderous look in his eyes as flames and smoke swirled around him.

"I'm only going to ask this once." stated Natsu in a feral tone as he looked at each member of Raven Tail individually for a few seconds. "Who did it?" he asked, and to Ivan's surprise all of his guild members pointed to him without a second thought.

"I guess there's no point in denying it, but what are you going to do about it Salamander?" he asked with a smug grin, only to stagger backwards and almost lose his footing as he was hit with an overwhelming amount of magic pressure and killing intent.

"What I'm going to do about it is very simple Ivan." replied Natsu, shocking all of them that he instantly knew who he was. "I'm going to break you and the rest of your guild in the next few moments." he finished while slowly walking towards them, while destroying absolutely everything around him in the process because of his magic barely being contained.

"Stop right there Salamander!" shouted Kurohebi, since Ivan was currently too overwhelmed by Natsu's fury to speak.

"Daddy." whimpered Liza as the blade pressed to her throat and drew a little blood. And to the shock of everyone still conscious, Natsu's magic spiked even higher as his eyes changed into those of a dragon.

"I'm so sorry Natsu." said Meredy, who somehow was able to regain consciousness only just a few moments ago.

"You've got nothing to be sorry for." he said while still looking at Kurohebi with nothing but pure loathing and hatred. "And Liza, everything's going to be alright as long as you do as I say." he said to her while giving her a quick smile.

"Okay daddy." she replied with a small smile of her own.

"Like hell it is Salamander, so stop what you're doing this instant otherwise your daughter gets it." shouted Kurohebi with a slightly deranged look in his eyes.

"You've already gotten on my bad side for even threatening her, do you really want to be the sole focus of my rage for who knows how long?" he asked while standing there with an extremely pissed off expression on his face.

"I don't give a fuck what you think you're going to do since I know you won't be able to do any of it while I've got your daughter like this." cackled Kurohebi as he firmly held his blade against Liza's throat.

"Liza, it's time to show them why you're a Dragneel." he said while giving her a little smirk that let her know exactly what he wanted her to do. And the next second her magic shot through the roof, which startled Kurohebi enough for him to slice her throat and jump away in fear of what Natsu would do in response.

"I told you that I wasn't fucking around Salamander." stated Kurohebi as he expected to watch Liza's small body fall to the ground lifeless. But instead of that she turned around and he was shocked to see that all of her skin was now covered in grey scales with a few orange scale patterns scattered across it. He watched as her hair slowly turned orange as small horns grew from her skull and fangs starting to form out of her canines. The best way to describe her new appearance would be that of a hybrid between a drake and a human, missing a few key features like the tail and wings.

But before Kurohebi could say another thing he was now in the clutches of Natsu's claws, yes he was now in the grasp of a dragon slayer in one of their stages of dragon force. "Now you've got my full attention like I warned you against." hissed out Natsu before slamming the man into the floor and actually launching him into the basement. Natsu righted himself and looked at the remaining members of Raven Tail with a deadly glare before speaking up again in a voice that sent shivers down their spines. "If a single one of you so much as touches a member of my guild I'll tear you limb from limb." he said before dropping into the hole he just made.

"Oh you've done it now Salamander." coughed Kurohebi as he spat up some blood and saliva.

"And why is that?" asked Natsu as he slowly walked towards him.

"All I need to mimic your magic is a single touch." he replied with a wicked grin as Natsu continued to look at him with an unimpressed look.

"I highly doubt that." replied Natsu, but he was shocked to be proven wrong as he then detected magic similar to his emanating from the man in front of him.

"Now I'm all fired up as you used to once say." he chuckled until he all of a sudden he started screaming out in pain as he fell to his knees.

"You fucking idiot, did you really think you could just mimic my magic? A type of magic that literally flows through ever part of my body, one that you have to train for years in order for your body to adapt to it." said Natsu as he picked him up by the head.

"Please make it stop." he begged while looking into Natsu's eyes hopefully, only for him to receive a grin that let him know that wasn't going to happen.

"I don't think I will since this is probably the best way to inflict as much pain to you as possible, because right now if you did in fact mimic my magic. It would mean that you have two different types of dragon slayer magic fighting each other for dominance in your body. A body that isn't suited to hold either of them, so I'm going to sit back and enjoy this pretty much act of suicide you just did to yourself." replied Natsu before smashing him through the ceiling and letting him drop to the floor where he went back to writhing and screaming out in agony.

"What did you do to him?" asked an utterly terrified Flare as she watched Kurohebi squirm around on the floor still screaming his lungs out.

"I didn't do anything to him, that's just him paying the price for trying to mimic my magic." replied Natsu as he started to head towards Ivan. Who up till now was completely thrown for a loop after feeling what Natsu truly was capable of doing. "Oh and he's going to die unless someone renders him unconscious." he said now once again standing in front of Ivan.

"I'm out of here!" shouted Nullpudding before jumping through a window and making a break for it.

"Get back here this instant you fucking coward!" shouted Ivan as he glared at the retreating figure of his subordinate.

"I don't think he wants to face my wrath." stated Natsu with a blank look on his face. "Doesn't really matter since the rest of my guild will be beating him to within an inch of his life." he finished still having no visible expression on his face.

"That's fucking it Salamander, kill them!" he shouted out, expecting that his two remaining members would follow his orders. But to his shock they both remained where they were and made no motions to follow what they were just told to do.

"I'm pretty sure that they're more afraid of me Ivan, and I can't really blame them. Which is a perfect example why your way of running a guild is flawed at its very core." said Natsu as he started to close the small gap between the two of them.

"Then I'll fucking do it myself!" he shouted as his Shikigami started to form and then flew out in all directions. Making it impossible for Natsu to stop them all from reaching their different intended victims at once, well that is at least what Ivan was hoping for. But before any of them came within three feet of a member from Fairy Tail they all caught on fire and were reduced to small piles of ash.

"No you won't Ivan, and it truly disgusts me to know that you are actually related to such a great man like Makarov." he said while shaking his head.

"If he's so fucking great then where the hell is he? Oh I know, he's dead just like the rest of those precious little friends of yours Salamander." spat out Ivan as he staggered backwards from the fire dragon slayer that was still coming towards him. "And it's all because of you being too weak Salamander, which is also the same reason why all of this is happening right now." he said only for him to be cut off from saying anything more since a clawed hand was now wrapped around his throat.

"For once you're actually correct Ivan, I wasn't strong enough then just like I wasn't strong enough today." he said while Ivan was clawing at his hand in the hopes of getting the precious oxygen that he so desperately needed. "And who knows Ivan, I might never be strong enough to protect all of them like I wish I could. But that doesn't mean I won't spend the rest of my life trying to achieve just that, which unfortunately for you means that I'm going to have to make sure that you will never think about doing something as foolish as this ever again." he finished just as it looked like Ivan might pass out, but was then tossed into the ground hard.

Ivan clutched his sore throat and glared back up at Natsu, before he could do much else he was hit in the face by a smoke and flame covered fist that launched his head straight back into the ground. And for the next few minutes Flare and Obra watched as their Master was being completely man handled by Natsu, who wasn't even using anything other than coating his physical attacks with his two elements. This meant that he was purposely making sure that this was going to be an extremely long and painful experience for Ivan.

"Help me you fucking idiots!" shouted Ivan after crash landing in between the two of them.

"Might as well since neither of you are escaping my wrath for having a hand in this." stated Natsu as the two slowly looked at him with scared looks, well it was hard to tell what emotions Obra was feeling due to his unique face.

 **"HAIR SHOWER: THOUSAND BIRDS!"** shouted out a terrified Flare as she sent several bundles of her hair flying directly at Natsu. Who only rose up a single hand and sent out his flames, that to her shock burnt straight through her hair like it was nothing. And this only surprised her since her hair was supposed to be immune to fires since she herself could actually light it on fire.

"H-h-how?" she asked while backing away from him.

"I'm the son of Igneel the Fire King, and there is nothing my flames can't burn when I'm properly motivated. And thanks to what you've all done here today my flames of emotion are off the charts." he replied with a sneer that then went back to his blank expression that he had on while beating the shit of Ivan.

"Do something Obra!" shouted Ivan as he started to stagger to the door, but before he got within ten feet of it the body of the man he just called out to slammed into it and fell to the ground unconscious.

"Shit, that guy has really weak in the physical strength department wasn't he." stated Natsu as he was holding a trembling Flare by her hair that was now only shoulder length. And with a feral grin he unleashed a barrage of punches to her gut, ending it with a really strong one that launched her into Kurohebi. That luckily for the man at least rendered both of them unconscious.

"Fairy Tail mages don't take the lives of anyone no matter what they've done." stuttered out Ivan as he tried to come up with a way to get out of here a live.

"True, but that was when your father ran Fairy Tail. Things are a little different after I was made the guild master." replied Natsu as he glared down at Ivan, who like so many before him would swear that standing behind Natsu was none other than a majestic red dragon. But unlike everyone before Ivan that witnessed this intimidating sight, this time the dragon looked ready to rip him to shreds just like the man in front of it did.

 **Outside of the guild at a safe distance a few minutes later:**

The gathered members of Fairy Tail all flinched at the pain filled screams that were still coming from their guildhall as explosions of fire and smoke would occasionally shoot out of it. This caused a few of them to become extremely concerned for the members that they believed to still be in there. That is until they noticed that to their left in the middle of the street was a make shift infirmary set up, with none other than Porlyusica already treating their injured friends and family.

"He's really letting him have it isn't he." stated Laki as they all continued to watch their Master destroy the remains of their guildhall as he pummeled Ivan into oblivion.

"You've got no idea, I can't even imagine what it would be like to be on the receiving end of him right now." replied Jet with a frown as he looked over at the member covered up by a blanket, clenching his fists in rage. Causing him to look over at the four other members of Raven Tail tied up, wanting nothing more than to start doing what Natsu was doing to Ivan to them.

"He's going easy on that bastard if you ask me." spat out Meredy who was hugging Liza like her life depended on it, mainly to reassure herself that she was actually still alive.

"She's right, we should just kill them all for what they did." said Sting as he started to stalk over to their prisoners with a deranged look in his eyes as he locked his sights on Kurohebi. The man that he could smell was responsible for all of Liza's injuries since her blood was on his person.

But before he could land a devastating blow to the helpless mage he was tackled to the ground by his partner and their two exceeds. "I want to also finish him off too Sting, but we have to wait until Natsu returns." yelled Rogue as he glared at his partner that was trying to break free of his grip.

"Like hell, Master Salamander is going to let them live even after everything they did!" he shouted while still trying to get Rogue off of him.

"Please Sting, you need to calm down." replied Lector as tears started to escape his eyes as he looked at his best friend.

"Frosch thinks so too." chimed in Frosch who looked really close to being in tears as well.

"You're correct Sting; they deserve to be punished for what they did today. But if we go ahead and just kill them then how are we any better than they are?" asked Macao, who was now almost completely covered in bandages and had a crying Romeo clinging to him.

"We're only doing it because they attacked us first." replied Sting, no longer fighting against Rogue anymore.

"That's not good enough Sting, because it could be argued that they only did something like this after being mistreated by others their entire life." he said, glad to see that Sting was no longer after Kurohebi's head, which didn't mean that he still wasn't extremely angry at the mage.

"Rogue and Sting could you two please go back and tell Ultear and the rest what happened?" asked Cobra as he didn't take his eyes off of the guildhall that was now starting to cave in on itself. With flames and smoke still billowing from it ominously as scream were still ringing throughout the city in an eerie way.

"Why do we both need to go?" asked Sting as he glared at his elder dragon slayer.

"Come on Sting, Master Dragneel wouldn't want Ultear to be left in the dark." stated Rogue as he started to head back to their home, knowing that Sting would soon be with him after a few more seconds of thought. But he was shocked to see that Meredy somehow while still holding Liza started to limp her way home with him, until he and their two exceeds decided to help her out with Sting joining in as soon as he caught up with them.

"You know that they are already informed about what's going on here." said Warren as he came up next to the poison dragon slayer.

"I do, but they don't need to be here once Salamander is done with Ivan since I honestly don't know what he's going to be like at that point." he replied, making everyone look at him questioningly.

"And what do you mean by that Cobra?" asked Laki, being the first one to voice everyone's current thought.

"What I mean is that I can't get a read on his current mindset at all, and judging from what I can hear from Ivan he might be reaching the end of the line soon." he answered with a frown, as a look of horror came over everyone else's face after hearing his response.

"There's no way Natsu could kill him." she mumbled back, even though she herself still wanted them to all die. But she didn't want Natsu to be the one to do it since he was supposed to be the person that they all tried to become and was a beacon of hope and happiness for them.

"Don't worry, I have faith that Natsu won't take it that far." stated Macao, even though a small part of himself was concerned about what would happen to their Master if he did in fact end the life of a human. Granted Natsu had already killed a lot of drakes, but everyone knew that he only did that because there wasn't any other option since they couldn't lock up a drake like they could with a human.

 **Inside the completely destroyed Fairy Tail guildhall:**

"So Ivan, why don't you tell me the reason you attacked Fairy Tail?" asked Natsu as his foot came smashing down onto the already broken leg of the man beneath him. This made a sickening crunching sound as Ivan screamed out in complete and absolute agony.

"Go to hell Salamander!" hissed out Ivan as he accidentally sprayed the dragon's slayer's face with blood from his mouth. This of course wasn't a very smart move for him since it looked like his odds of making it out of here were already very slim. And his odds only got smaller as a dagger attached to a chain was stabbed through his other leg as Natsu wiped away some of the blood that was spit on him.

"I really don't think you understand the gravity of the situation you're currently in Ivan." he stated while slowly twisting the knife still embedded in Ivan, who couldn't suppress his screams of pain as he tried to make him stop. But considering that he had already sustained a few other broken bones, one of them being his right arm, he did very little to the man torturing him right now. "You still believe I'm not capable of killing you." he continued without being fazed by the screams of pain or weak hits being thrown at him.

At this point he stood back up and yanked the dagger out by its chain, once again causing his prey to scream out in pain as he started to clutch the wound with his one good hand. A hand that was unfortunately attached to a broken arm, but it was better than his other hand that Natsu seemed very intent on breaking every bone in it. "I'd move that hand of yours right now; that is unless you want it to be burned while I seal up your leg." he said, only giving Ivan a second to pull his hand away before he sent a stream of fire at the wound. And just like pretty much everything he did to him, it caused the man to scream out in pain but with the new addition of looking like he might pass out any second now.

This of course was something Natsu didn't want, so he bent back down and gave Ivan a hard smack to the side of his face. "Stay with me Ivan, we've only just getting started with our little conversation and I can't have you dosing off on me this early." he said while holding Ivan's chin so they were eye to eye.

"Fuck you!" mumbled Ivan, making sure to not cover his tormentor with his blood like he did last time.

"I've got to say I'm impressed that you're still trying to be defiant even though both of us know there is nothing you or anyone else can do to save you from me. Not even the fucking King himself could get you away from me until I've found out what possessed you to go so far as to kill one of my members." replied Natsu as he slowly ran his blood coated dagger across Ivan's face until it was a few centimeters away from his right eye.

"I'm not telling you one god damn thing." he said, only to let out a scream as the dagger was pulled down his cheek quickly. And before he could even do anything other than scream a burning hand quickly sealed up the wound leaving behind a charred wound that was definitely going to scar.

"Now you've got a scar similar to the one that your son has, who I might add was smart enough to figure out when to call it quits after I beat him. But considering that you were expelled from Fairy Tail, I really shouldn't have expected you to do the smart thing here." said Natsu as he brought the dagger up to the eye once again.

"My son is just another weakling like everyone else in your guild, none more so than that brat you're so worked up over me ending." he chuckled out, expecting to feel some sort of retribution in a very excruciatingly painful way. But all he got from the dragon slayer before him was a creepy grin that started to unnerve him with each passing second that he looked at it.

"That's pretty fun since your son put up a better fight than you just did, which I would like to point out was over three years ago. And sorry to disappoint you Ivan, but you're not going to get me riled up no matter what you say from here on out." stated the dragon slayer as he stood back up, still grinning at the man responsible for what happened to his family today.

"We'll see about that Salamander, you're just…" he started to say, before a blade whizzed past the left side of his head and took a small chunk of his ear with it.

"Sorry Ivan, but you've once again misinterpreted what I just told you." said Natsu as he caught the dagger while Ivan muffled his scream of pain as he glared back up at him. "I said you couldn't get me riled up, but that doesn't mean I'll let you get away with badmouthing the things that I still hold dear. So the next time you say something that I dislike I'll give you another injury that won't be fatal one of course, which I think is what you were hoping for? At least I would have to assume that anyone in your current situation would welcome death since it would stop that excruciating pain which makes each second feel like an eternity." he finished while twirling his dagger around by its chain.

"You're a fucking monster." he hissed out between his gritted teeth, still trying to not scream and yell from all the pain that his body was currently in.

"I've actually been called that a few times recently, and if I'm honest I was really concerned about everyone seeing me as that. But after talking with my wife and family about my concerns I quickly realized that they'll never see me like that." stated Natsu as he walked away from Ivan and towards one of the few somewhat intact walls of the guildhall. "And those are the only people in the whole country that I give two shits about what their opinions of me are. So if I have to become a monster to the rest of the world, so be it if that means the ones I care about are safe and won't have to worry about someone else trying something similar to this." he said while pushing the wall over and watching it crumble apart as it hit the ground.

"What you just did today won't deter all of them Salamander." replied Ivan with a crooked grin slowly forming on his face.

"True, but it will definitely make them think twice about it. And after your little stunt here today, I've realized that I was being way too relaxed on certain things like the security of my guildhall." he said while slowly turning around to look at Ivan with a stern expression. "Things that I plan to fix as soon as we recover from what transpired here today, but now that we're talking about it I would like to know how you got our guildhall to the state that I found it in when I returned?" he stated as he continued towards him with an eyebrow raised curiously.

"With explosives you fucking idiot." answered Ivan with a little chuckle that turned into a hiss of pain as Natsu applied a little pressure to his chest with one of his boots.

"I figured that much and I also know that you specifically chose ones that had very little scent since it would have ruined everything if I happened to run across one of them by accident. So when did you and your cronies come in here and hide them?" he asked while slowly increasing the pressure to some of the already broken ribs.

"During your open house at the harvest festival for Christ's sake!" shouted Ivan who then let out a sigh of relief at the absence of Natsu's boot being firmly pressed up against his chest.

"I was afraid you were going to say that, guess we'll have to tighten up the security on that this year. And do you see now how easy that was Ivan, so why don't you tell me about this Heart of Fairy Tail that you're after." he said with a grin that Ivan knew meant more pain than he could probably handle if he continued to be defiant or keep quiet. "Or should I say our Darkness since that is what you called it while doing something similar to what I'm doing to you to Macao Conbolt?" he asked, as a look of shock spread across Ivan's face.

"There's no way you could have heard that." stuttered out Ivan, since Natsu didn't return until a long time after they were done interrogating Macao.

"Once again you're correct, which is why I got that from one of my mages while you weren't saying much more than grunts and screams of pain earlier." he replied with his grin only getting bigger. "So start talking Ivan, otherwise everything up till now will look like a cake walk compared to what I've got planned for you." he stated while fire and smoke started to swirl around his fingertips that were just a few inches away from his face.

"You're not much of a guild Master if you also don't know anything about it." responded Ivan with a defiant smirk.

"Who said anything about me not knowing about the Heart of Fairy Tail? I am just curious how you know about it, and why you believe it to be my guild's darkness?" he asked with a completely serious expression sent at the other man.

"You're bluffing." replied Ivan, now looking at Natsu trying to see if he actually was.

"Come on Ivan, you've got a pretty good understanding of a dragon slayer's senses. So do you really believe I wouldn't be able to detect something like that just a few feet underneath me?" he asked while rolling his eyes at him. "Granted it took me longer than I would like to admit, but I would like to contribute that to me assuming it was just what this place gave off when crowded with so many rowdy mages. But after numerous nights here all alone I figured out that faint feeling I was getting was something much more." he finished while taking a seat in front of Ivan, using some of the rubble for a chair.

"So it was in the basement." said Ivan as a smirk spread across his lips.

"Of course it was, wait a minute, you have absolutely no idea what you're even looking for do you?" asked Natsu, and judging from the expression he was currently getting from the man at the moment he was correct. "Well it doesn't really matter since even if I took you to exactly where it is located you still couldn't get it." he said, which caused Ivan to start glaring at him.

"And why the hell couldn't I?" he asked with a little snarl.

"You're not a member of Fairy Tail anymore, and from our little fight I can tell that you're no were near strong enough to force your way in." answered Natsu with a little chuckle that made Ivan start mumbling curses at him. "Well seeing as you seem to know less about it than I do I guess we should wrap this up then." he said while standing back up and cracking his knuckles.

"Wait a minute Salamander, you're better than this." he stuttered out, not wanting it all to end after he got conformation of it actually existing and now had a rough location of where to look for it in.

"It's funny that you've changed your tune after our little chat, but that doesn't matter since it was always going to end it this way." replied Natsu as his magic once again flared up to insane heights. "But before we get started you need to hear something Ivan, the man you killed without a second thought today was better than you could ever hope to be. He was a loving son and brother, who was the sole provider for his family that is never going to see his smiling face again." he lectured while picking up a helpless Ivan by the throat.

"And I'm guessing that he wouldn't want you to kill me over something like this." choked out Ivan, hoping that this could possibly stop what was clearly going to be his soon approaching demise.

"You'd be correct." he replied, which caused Ivan to somehow let out a sigh of relief while still being held up in the air by his throat. "But that really doesn't matter since he is no longer with us anymore because of you. So before we get this started I think it's only fitting that you learn his name, it was Peter." he stated before being drowned out by one of the loudest screams Ivan had let out yet.

 **A few minutes later with the gathered group of Fairy Tail wizards:**

"It's been quiet for a while now." stated Laki in a nervous tone as she continued to look at their ruined guildhall.

"Does that mean he's finished him off finally?" asked Wakaba who was next to Macao, regretting that he wasn't there to help his best friend when he needed him the most.

"Nope, Salamander decided to get him as close to death as possible." answered Cobra with an uncaring expression as he continued to keep a watchful eye on their prisoners. Who all were now awake except for Kurohebi, which was probably for the best since it meant he didn't have to deal with more than forty different mages glaring at him. All of them wanting nothing more than to beat every member of Raven Tail until there was nothing left to identify their guild by anymore.

"How bad are we talking about Eric?" asked Kinana, who was just as angry as everyone else in the guild which just shows how bad of a spot the members of Raven Tail were in at the moment.

"That bad." he replied while lifting up a hand and pointing to a figure coming towards them. It was easy to see right away that it was Natsu heading towards them, but this time he had something thrown over his shoulder that most of them couldn't tell what it was. But after he was halfway to them, they could all make out that it was Ivan now reduced to a pitiful state. Barely clinging to life, now completely covered in his own blood from the various cuts and gashes littered across his badly beaten body. And that wasn't even counting the numerous bones that they all knew were broken from Natsu using him as his personal wrecking ball, which he used to finish off their guildhall.

"Porlyusica could you please make sure he doesn't kick the bucket?" asked Natsu as he tossed Ivan at the woman's feet, not caring for a second what it might do to the man's already critical state.

"I should really be looking you over." said Porlyusica as she glared at him, just one of the many reasons that the rest of the guild feared her. "But knowing how much of an idiot you are, I'm betting that you won't let me near you until he's stable." she stated while getting Ivan into a better position for inspection.

"You know me too well." he said with a little grin before turning around and heading towards the tied up members of Raven Tail. "Now what am I going to do with the rest of you?" he asked with a menacing grin that caused the conscious members of Raven Tail to go pale.

"Turn us over to the Council." pleaded Nullpudding, who besides Ivan and Kurohebi definitely received the most punishment and pain throughout the entire ordeal.

"That's probably what I would have done earlier today, but that was before you all helped commit something that none of us can ever forgive you for." he replied as his expression turned into a glare. "Now I want to make something clear, yes we all understand that our line of work means we might die on our very next job. But that is not what happened here today, no one of my members was brutally killed in a place that I'm sure he thought was safe." he growled out as his magic started to flare up again now just a foot away from their prisoners.

"W-w-we d-d-d-didn't…" stuttered out Flare only to be silenced by an extremely warm hand covering her mouth.

"You might not have wanted to help, but that doesn't change the fact that you all did." he stated in a harsh tone as he glared right into her wide and terrified eyes. "You could have come to me at any time and I would have stopped that idiot of a man like I just did today. Unfortunately none of you did and I believe that's because each of you in some way enjoyed what you've been doing with him all this time." he continued while now glaring at the other two conscious members of Raven Tail.

Both of whom were too terrified at the prospects of what Natsu planned to do with them to reply, because if it was the same fate as their Master. Than they both would almost do anything to avoid being completely and utterly broken in all senses of the word. So both of them decided to do the smart thing and remain quiet until they actually could reply with something that wouldn't upset the dragon slayer.

"So because of all of this I'm going to do something completely unheard of." said Natsu, causing everyone listening to him at the moment to have their eyes shoot wide open in surprise. "After Ivan is all patched up and stable enough to be carried out of here you're all free to go." he finished, and was met with a few seconds of complete silence. Silence that then turned into absolute chaos as members of Fairy Tail started to shout out their displeasure at his decision and how they should be punished.

"QUIET!" he shouted out, easily getting all of them to shut up and look at him with all sorts of emotions swirling in their heads. "But there is one small catch to this new freedom that I'm giving all of you." he said as his tone got deeper again.

"And what is that Salamander?" asked Obra with a sly grin, thinking that Ivan was correct about Natsu being too forgiving for his own good.

"If I hear just one bad thing about any of you after today, I along with the rest of my guild will enjoy hunting you down and then doing what I did to Ivan just now to you." he answered with a little grin, knowing that the members of Raven Tail definitely liked the sound of this. "Oh and after putting you through that much pain I will personally kill you, because at that point you're just like all of those drakes that I've been putting down lately. Just a beast lashing out with no chances of it ever changing its ways, and the only solution for that is a permanent one." he stated with a murderous glare sent their way.

"W-w-why w-would y-you b-b-beat us u-up if y-you just plan t-t-to k-kill us?" stuttered out Nullpudding in a little whimper as he tried to get away from Natsu but couldn't because of his restraints.

"So that my fellow guild members can give you a little payback for what you just did here today of course. So does this sound like a good proposal to you three, or should I skip that all and just kill you all right now?" he asked with a growl as he pulled the sword off of his back and stuck it in the ground. Ground that just so happened to be right between Obra's legs and only a few centimeters away from making him no less of a man. All three of them could only start nodding their heads yes as furiously as they possibly could, knowing that none of them could trust their own voices anymore.

"Good, oh and one quick reminder for all of you before you take off. Once a dragon slayer gets a scent they never forget it, especially if it's of someone that they view as an enemy." he said while cutting off the ropes that had them all bound together. "Actually there is one last thing you all need to hear before you take off; if Kurohebi so much as comes within a mile of anyone from my family I'll rip him to shreds right before your very eyes." he finished with a deadly glare sent their way.

"Master Dragneel, are you really sure this is a good idea?" asked Jet as he came up to Natsu's side and continued to glare at the stunned and completely terrified members of Raven Tail.

"No, but I believe it is the correct thing to do since throwing them in jail wouldn't help anyone." he replied while turning away from the people he just let free and now looking at the one that he used as a personal punching bag and stress reliever.

"But what if they only continue on like they are?" asked Laki, which was something that most of the guild was thinking at the moment.

"Then I'll do exactly what I promised them I would, I'll hunt them down like the beasts that they've proven themselves to be and put an end to them." he answered without a trace of doubt in his voice.

"I'm confident that the Council wouldn't be too happy with that." pointed out Macao as he hobbled over to him with the help of Wakaba, who he had his arm slung around.

"And since when have I ever cared about what the Council thinks?" he asked with a sad chuckle as his eyes rested on the sheet covering their fallen comrade.

"Well I think you're making the right choice Master Dragneel, giving them all one final chance is something that only someone from Fairy Tail would do. And I know Master Makarov would be proud of you not letting your emotions control you like they once did." stated Kinana with a smile that lacked its usual warmth as Natsu let out a few more sad chuckles.

"I think Ivan's state would say otherwise." he mumbled while kneeling down next to their member that would never laugh or party with any of them ever again. Pulling back the sheet Natsu could see that at least he wasn't slowly killed like he feared, and was done in by a quick stab through the heart.

"He wasn't even awake when it happened." stated Macao as he hung his head in shame and tears started to escape.

"That's for the best I guess, and don't blame yourself Macao about any of this." replied Natsu as he put the sheet back over the lifeless body of Peter and stood back up. "If anyone is to blame it's me, I should have realized that something like this might happen after what occurred at my wedding. But I foolishly thought that after our little escapade of hunting dark guilds that no one would dare to try anything against us again." he said while now looking at the completely ruined guildhall.

"God damn it Natsu, you never could have predicted any of this happening! And you weren't even here so you can't take responsibility over Peter's death either!" he shouted out while glaring at the back of his Master's head, no longer needing Wakaba for support.

"You just said it Macao, I wasn't here when I should have been." said Natsu in an emotionless tone as he continued to look at the ruins he made with Ivan's help.

"Of fucking course you'd see that as your big mistake in all of this! Guess what Natsu, you're only just a human like the rest of us and you also need to have a life outside of this place just like everyone else! Something that you're actually doing a really good job at, so don't you dare try taking the blame for all of this!" he continued to shout out in his rage and grief at everything that just happened. He expected Natsu to have some sort of comeback or counter argument, but instead all he got from the dragon slayer was nothing as he continued to look at the area that used to have their guildhall.

"He's right Master Dragneel; you can't always try and take all of the blame when something goes wrong. Didn't you tell us that we're all in this together, and as long as we stick together there isn't anything out there that can stop us." stated Kinana as she came up behind him and patted his left shoulder gently.

"That's definitely something you said while I was here Salamander." stated Cobra as he too came up to Natsu. "And if it makes you feel any better I'm confident that they've been waiting for a really long time for you to leave like you did today while most of the guild was out. So if it didn't happen today it would have eventually happened somewhere down along the line, where it possibly could have turned out worse for us." he pointed out in the hopes of slightly cheering up his Master and also his Alpha.

"One of your own died, I really don't see how it could have gotten any worse than this." replied Natsu in an angry tone as he continued to look at the remains of the guildhall with a distant look in his eyes. A distant look that came from him remembering all of the fun times he had in that building, a building that at first he hated because it was different than the one he had grown up in with everyone else in Fairy Tail. But he soon grew to love it just as much as the old one, because of reasons like it being the place they had when members like Juvia, Gajeel, and so many others joined the guild over the years. Not only that, but it was also the place where so many other good things happened to him. His relationship with Ultear started in that place, along with him becoming the Master of Fairy Tail which was something he still has troubles with believing sometimes.

"More people could have died, I saw that man go for the kill on Liza when she activated her magic." said Macao still clearly upset with him, but now at least he was no longer yelling at him. After hearing this Natsu let out a long sigh as his head dropped so he was staring at the ground between his boots that had some of Ivan's blood on them.

"It took every ounce of my will power to not rip that man apart for what he did to Liza." he replied while still having his head down. "And yes I know it could have gone a lot worse than it did, but just one death is more than I can handle right now. It's causing me to wonder if I should really be the Master of the guild when it's clear that I can't even protect all of its members properly." he said to the shock of the small group trying to console him. None of them knew how to respond to his self-doubts, but luckily for them they didn't have to thanks to an upset woman with pink hair just like him.

All of their mouths dropped open as a loud smack rang out and Natsu's head was violently twisted to his right. And now standing in front of him was a very pissed off Porlyusica who looked ready to kill the dragon slayer after what she just heard come out of his mouth. "You're just as stupid as that old fool Makarov." she stated, while Natsu couldn't help but want to point out that they are the same age. But luckily he thought better than to say something that would only enrage the woman before him more than she already was.

"He asked the same thing every time he lost one of his brats as he liked to call all of you. But luckily, he realized that this was something that even a mage as strong and as powerful as himself couldn't prevent since it's the one certainty in everyone's life." she continued with her glare slightly lessoning. "Everyone will eventually die Natsu, and yes it's unfortunate that someone as young as him died for whatever reason possessed Ivan to attack Fairy Tail like he did. But that is no reason to throw in the towel while everyone in the guild is still counting on you as their support." she stated.

"I wasn't going to leave or anything like that I was just going to step down as Master." he replied with an offended look that she even thought he would just leave them.

"If you do that then you might as well leave, because I along with everyone else in Fairy Tail and Magnolia for that matter know that no one else could do what you're doing right now. Yes there might be someone better at the paperwork than you and all sorts of other things that most of the other guilds in the country are really concerned about." she said once again intensely glaring at him. "But that isn't what a guild Master of Fairy Tail needs to be. They need to be kind and caring, someone that everyone knows they can come to with any sort of problem they might be having. They also need to inspire and bring happiness to their members as well, something that you have already proven to be better than Makarov ever was." she finished with a small smile gracing her lips that are usually in a permanent frown.

"You've got to be joking." responded Natsu as he stared at her in disbelief. Seeing that she wasn't going to relent on her previous statement he turned to the rest of them to get them to help him out. But instead of that all he saw was small smiles as they nodded their heads in agreement at the healer's previous statement.

"He even said it himself Natsu, granted it was in the middle of one of his long rants about how much trouble you cause him on a daily basis and claimed it was his only reason for putting up with you." she said with a smirk as a completely and utterly defeated look came over Natsu's face. "But that is just how he was, always trying to put up a strong façade whenever he could, even though I could always tell he was so proud of how similar you two are when he was your age." said Porlyusica with a smile once again appearing as one also slowly formed on the dragon slayer's face.

"Really?" he asked hopefully.

"Have I ever once lied to you since we've known each other?" she asked with a stern look. "You need to care about someone to even contemplate lying to them." she said while having a slightly bad feeling at the mischievous look she was now receiving from him.

"What I just heard is that you could lie to me since I know that you care about me." he stated, only to receive another hard slap from her that he could only chuckle at.

"I couldn't care less what happens to a suicidal idiot like you. But I still care for Makarov and he would be utterly inconsolable if something bad were to happen to you while he was gone." she declared while turning away from him and gathering up her supplies.

"You just keep telling yourself that Porlyusica." he chuckled just loud enough for her to hear him.

"I will, and back to what I was saying before. Makarov even mentioned to me one night after a few drinks that he thought you had what it took to be a great guild Master if you only matured up quite a bit. And you have done exactly that over these past few years that they've been gone." she said now bringing back her gear to start inspecting him.

"What may I ask were the two of you doing?" he asked with a sly grin, before jumping back to dodge a small bag being swung at his face.

"I should just leave you completely unattended for even insinuating something as terrible as that. But like I said before I'm only doing this for Makarov, now stay still so I can have a good look at you." she demanded while giving the dragon slayer a deadly glare that caused him to lose the slight smirk that he had.

"Honestly I'm completely fine." he replied while trying to wave her off.

"Like hell you are, you might have everyone else here fooled Natsu. But even you aren't good enough to fool your own physician about what's going on with you." she stated with her glare only intensifying.

"Please just check on everyone else first, once you're through with that I'll be the best patient you've ever had." he said with a determined look, as the two of them glared at each other not willing to back down.

With a sigh and an eye roll Porlyusica turned away from the stubborn dragon slayer while mumbling that in order for him to be her best patient he would have to not be her patient at all. This brought a small smile to Natsu's face once again as he watched her go and check on the other injured members that were still in the area.

"What is going on Natsu?" asked Wakaba with a concerned look directed at the dragon slayer.

"She's just worrying about needless things that I've got completely under control." he replied in a confident tone, which normally would have put all of their minds at ease. But after seeing the look on the healer's face as the two stared each other down, they all would need more than just his word on it to placate all of their concerns.

"Salamander I think…" started Cobra with a conflicted look.

"Cobra that's enough, and I'm honestly completely fine right now." he said with a stern glare sent Cobra's way. "Well at least physically speaking that is, and after a while I should be back to my old self once Peter has had the proper sendoff that a mage of Fairy Tail should always have." he finished with a sad smile as he looked over at the mage who's life unfortunately came to an abrupt end.

"If you say so Master Dragneel." replied Macao, who like the others still wasn't convinced that he was fine. "And we can get to that unpleasant business tomorrow, after you've had a few hours of rest at least." he suggested with a hopeful smile.

"I definitely won't be getting much sleep tonight, but I guess you do have a point there. Before that I think I need to make an announcement to everyone that is still here." said Natsu as he started to walk towards a large piece of the guild that was launched a good distance away from it. He jumped onto it, causing a few other members to quiet down and wait for him to speak like they all knew he would. And after a few more minutes everyone was completely silent, all waiting for him to finally say something.

"Today is a sad day for all of us, one that will never be forgotten as long as there is still one of us live." he said while looking out over all of the hurt and angry looks that his mages had on their faces. "We lost a member who was so many things to so many people, a close friend to some that were fortunate enough to get to know him. He was a caring older brother that just wanted to make his little sister proud and make sure that she and his mother had everything that they needed to be happy. Something that will be harder for them to accomplish now that he's gone." he said while choking up a little at the end.

"Peter was someone that just wanted to see others smile and make the world a better place in any way that he could. And he chose to join Fairy Tail to try and accomplish that goal of his, not because we are the strongest guild in the country. No, he chose us because once you join Fairy Tail you're part of our family, even if it's an extremely crazy and dysfunctional one. But he, just like me and I hope everyone else here knew that despite all of that we would do anything for each other because that is what family does for each other." he continued with a faint smile slowly forming on his lips.

"I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm confident that he wouldn't want his tragic death to change any of that. And with that in mind I'm going to do everything in my power to try and make sure nothing like this ever happens again and keep moving forward like he would have wanted. It's not just what he would've wanted; it's the Fairy Tail way. When we're knocked down we get back up and grow stronger because of it, which is exactly what we're going to do with this." he said now having a determined look in his eyes as he looked at everyone staring back at him.

"Do fairies really have tails?" he asked knowing that all of them had heard this question at least once, if not several times already. "Do they even exist… No one truly knows the answer to that question and it will most likely remain that way, an eternal mystery… I just like the rest of you was told that when you join Fairy Tail you're taking the first step on a never ending adventure. One that will have many ups and downs, twists and turns, and currently we're at one of the down points in our adventure." he said with a frown that many of the others listening to him had as well.

"Some of you might be thinking that Peter's adventure has come to a tragic end, but I completely disagree with that. As long as we keep him in our hearts and minds, his adventure will never truly come to an end. That's all I wanted to say for now, so you're all free to go back home and get some rest." stated Natsu as he was about to jump down from his perch, but before he could he noticed that a few of his members started to do the Fairy Tail hand symbol. And before he knew it everyone, himself included had it proudly raised in the air as a final salute to their fallen comrade who might not be with them anymore. But he would definitely not be forgotten any time soon by anyone there.

After that most of the members started to leave in silence, most likely returning to their homes and loved ones. But a few stayed behind to have some quick words with their Master, about what his plans were for the future and what they could do to help.

"That right there Master Dragneel is exactly what Porlyusica was talking about." said Macao with a faint grin.

"I only just said what I was thinking and feeling." he replied while looking around for the members of Raven Tail, who all seemed to have vanished most likely during his little speech.

"If you're looking for those cowards they took off as soon as you started to head away from us." stated Jet, easily figuring out who he was trying to locate.

"I guess that's probably for the best since most of the guild still wouldn't mind giving them a good beating." he said while also taking note that Cobra was gone as well, but he just assumed that he didn't have anything else to talk to him about.

"So what are your plans Master Dragneel?" asked Kinana with a slight smile.

"I would say getting some sleep, since fighting a lava dragon slayer then two drakes at once right after is really exhausting. Not to mention coming back to all of this, but I'm guessing you were asking what my plans are for the guild." he stated nonchalantly, not even noticing the shocked looks he was getting from them figuring out what he was up to before he came back. "Actually I've been toying with the idea of expanding the guildhall for various reasons, but since there isn't really much of it left at the moment I think it might be time for a brand new one." he replied while starting to walk away from them.

"But couldn't Ultear just bring it all back?" asked Wakaba with an eyebrow raised.

"Yes she could, but considering how much has changed for all of us over these past few years I think it's only natural to change our guildhall accordingly." he answered while giving them a quick wave over his shoulder.

"Isn't he supposed to get checked up by Porlyusica?" asked Macao, who didn't see the pink haired lady in the general area anymore.

"Maybe she realized he wasn't as bad as she thought he was." suggested Kinana with a hopeful smile that the others shared with her. And after a few more words with each other they each went their separate ways for the night.

 **A few minutes later:**

"Shit, I don't know if I can make it back." mumbled Natsu as he rested his shoulder against a tree on the outskirts of Magnolia. He was now looking as if he might pass out any moment, something that he was determined to not do in front of any of his mages today.

"You won't you moron, which is exactly why I wanted to check on you." stated Porlyusica as she came up behind him.

"I guess you're right once again, which also probably means you actually know what's happening to me." he replied while she got underneath one of his arms to help support him so he could keep walking.

"It does, but I honestly don't know why you're keeping it a secret, frankly it makes me like you more." she said with a caring smile that was seldom seen on her face.

"So you do like me." he chuckled as he almost tripped over a fallen branch, but luckily Porlyusica stabilized him just in time.

"Start liking you is what I meant to say you annoying brat, and don't you dare think that you've gotten away with not answering why you haven't told any of them yet except for that older dragon slayer." she said in her usual harsh tone as she glared at the man barely able to walk on his own currently.

"They'll eventually learn about it soon enough, so why tell them when there is nothing for them to even do about it. Also it will only cause them to worry about me more than they already do." he answered with a slight grin that caused her to scoff at him.

"Honestly you and Makarov are too similar, if I didn't know any better I would have sworn that you two were related to each other somehow." she stated while shaking her head at him.

"Thanks, and honestly you don't need to worry about what's happening to me either. From what I've found out it's not painful and thanks to this little guy here I will still be the same lovable pink haired idiot that you care about." he said with a huge smirk as he tapped the dragon tattoo on his left shoulder.

"You're really getting on my nerves brat, and I wouldn't call this right now completely fine and pain free." she argued back while giving him another stern glare.

"This is just the result of me using too much of my magic too quickly, come on Porlyusica, you know the signs of magic deficiency." he stated with a dry chuckle.

"Yes I do, but even after what I felt you doing tonight shouldn't have been enough for you to be suffering from that." she refuted as she led him down a path that would take them to her house.

"This isn't the only thing that I did today, before coming back I took on two of the hardest drakes I've had to face so far. And before that I had to show an idiotic dragon slayer his place in the world that he has barely even experienced yet." he said, only for a deadly aura to start emitting from the healer.

"And after doing all of that you thought it was a smart idea to carelessly throw around your magic like you did?" she asked in a tone that lacked any emotion one way or the other.

"No, but I kind of let my emotions take over for a bit there considering what they did while I was gone." he growled out, as he remembered smelling all of the fear and blood coming from his mages as soon as he returned.

"Well because of that you're going to most likely need some bed rest for the next few days, and that's an order you're going to follow! Do I make myself clear?" she asked while glaring at him with everything she had.

"Aye Sir!" he mumbled back to her in a tired tone, but she could still see the slight smirk he had on his lips.

"You're hopeless you know that right?" she asked with a smile as his only response to her comment was a little chuckle.

 **With the members of Raven Tail:**

"Do you think we're far enough away from him yet?" asked Flare as he slumped down to the ground with her back against the ruins of an old building.

"I think so, and who would have thought that Master wasn't joking about Salamander being totally being a monster way out of our league?" asked Nullpudding as he dropped Kurohebi to the ground with zero concern as he took a seat to rest his legs.

"No, Master was completely wrong since he thought we could actually handle something like that while working together." replied Obra as he gently set Ivan down against the wall next to Flare.

"Oh that isn't the only thing he was wrong about." came the voice of Cobra as he casually walked towards them with a smirk that he had on quite often while being a dark mage.

"You got that right Cobra." said Rogue as he emerged from a shadow on the other side of the members from Raven Tail.

"But that's why we're here, to make sure that you all realize just how wrong he was." stated Sting from on top of the wall, squatting down and giving them all a murderous glare. By this point the three conscious members of Raven Tail were up and ready to fight, but in the blink of an eye it was pretty much over for all three of them.

Before Obra could even utter a word he was slammed to the ground by a blinding white light that once it died down revealed Sting with his boot firmly planted on his throat. Nullpudding also didn't have time to react as Rogue melted into a shadow; only to reappear from Nullpudding's and unleash a furious barrage of attack onto the man's already severely injured body. Now Flare on the other hand got to at least attack, not because Cobra couldn't have taken her out quickly like the other two did with their opponents. No he wanted to show her that she was severely outmatched against him, which he did by grabbing the hair shot at him. And after catching it he started to pull her towards him by wrapping the hair that was currently on fire, around his arms that had purple scales.

"H-how?" she asked in a terrified voice as the poison dragon slayer was now right in front of her.

"Because your flames are nothing compared to Salamander's." he said right before slamming her into the ground right next to the rest of her guild.

"Salamander said that we were free to go!" pointed out Nullpudding with his face firmly pressed against the cold dirt.

"That he did, and it's only because of that you are all still alive right now." growled out Sting, who looked more pissed off than the other two dragon slayers.

"But like we said earlier to you three, we had to make sure that you understood the consequences of your actions today." said Rogue as he applied more pressure to Nullpudding, who was trying his best to not let out a scream.

"What Salamander said to you is no joke; at the first mention of one of you messing up we'll be on you just like we are right now. And if you didn't believe that he would take your lives, then I just wanted to let you know that there are three other dragon slayers that have all of your scents and would really enjoy doing that." said Cobra as he glared down at the three of them.

"If any of you want to get the waiting over with I'd be more than happy to kill you right now." stated Sting as Obra started to turn an extremely dark blue from lack of air.

"Sting, we've made our point. So remember this Raven Tail, if you so much as step just one inch out of line we'll find you and make what Salamander did to Ivan look like a blessing. Well the best of luck." he said before turning around and heading back towards Magnolia with Sting and Rogue following behind him. But not before each of them gave the members of Raven Tail on final glare, with Sting also adding the universal you're dead gesture as an extra measure.

 **June 5th X788, just a little over a month since the Raven Tail incident:**

Natsu sticking to his character didn't listen to Porlyusica and was out of bed after a single day of recuperation, which he barely got because of the constant interruptions from members wanting to make sure that he was fine. Something that she hated since he was currently at her place, so after putting up with that for almost a full day she made sure that it was clear to all of them that only his immediate family could visit him from then on and she wouldn't let anyone else. This was what pushed him to head back home where he hoped to get a little more rest while still being able to visit with anyone from the guild that wanted to see him.

Once getting there he was met with a furious Ultear, who lectured him about not getting into contact with her sooner and causing her to get zero sleep because of her worrying over him. And after that he had to deal with all of the other women that lived with him, none of them being too happy with him except for Meredy and Liza. Who both stood up on his behalf, which only got the other three angrier at him since they were reminded about what happened to the two of them. All three of them weren't actually angry at Natsu and were more upset with themselves and only took it out on him since they were already yelling at him.

After another day of rest Natsu went about setting up the arrangements for Peter's funeral, which also included his visit with the family to let them know what happened to him. He actually did this before he returned home since they had the right to know and he knew that they were currently worrying about Peter. It was honestly one of the hardest things he has ever had to do in his whole entire life, and he hoped that he would never have to do it again. But a little part of him knew that was just wishful thinking on his part since they were extremely lucky that none of them have perished in all of their confrontations with the drakes so far. The funeral was nothing fancy, except for it having all of the members of Fairy Tail in attendance with the exception of the two mothers with young children. After it finished Natsu informed the sister and mother that if they ever needed anything at all that Fairy Tail would help however they could. And he also informed them that they didn't need to worry about their rent or the other things that Peter would usually have covered for them and that he wasn't going to back down on this no matter what they said.

With that all taken care of Natsu and the rest of the guild now focused on building their new guild hall. Something that Natsu had definitely been working on for longer than he made it appear if the plans that he and Jude made were any indication. According to their plans it would still have the same overall style as the previous one, but on a larger scale that would make the last two guildhalls look tiny by comparison. Where the last guildhall was just three stories tall, their new one at its tallest point would be five stories tall with the same bell on top of it. That wasn't the only change to the main part of the guildhall; it was going to be about four times as big as the previous one in that area alone.

Another thing that set this one out from the previous two that Natsu grew up in were the addition of two huge wings that were going to be almost identical to each other. If you were staring at the front of the guildhall you would instantly notice that even with the increase of the main building it was a lot wider than you'd expect. And these two new additions both went back from there and almost went all the way to the edge of the lake behind the guildhall. Making them pretty much have a completely walled off courtyard behind the main building that was enclosed on two sides by the wings that he intended to be permanent housing for any members that wanted to live there. So in a sense he was moving Fairy Hills to a more secure location while also making one for the boys of the guild as well because it wouldn't be fair to just let the girls have something like that.

These two wings of housing for the guild were three stories tall, with the first two floors being setup like Fairy Hills was. Having a no tolerance of the opposite gender being allowed on the premises for a wide variety of reasons, but unlike Fairy Hills Natsu decided to set up runes to help enforce this rule that was now almost completely absolute because of them. The only way that a member of the other gender could get through was if they got permission from two of the residences or from Natsu himself. Of course this wasn't really needed, but after what happened with Raven Tail he was obviously trying to not miss a single thing that could possibly protect them from who knows what.

Now the third and final floor of these two wings were pretty much setup as apartments that eventual families could move into. Or if members didn't want to live in the other two levels that had smaller rooms where they would be forced do what Erza did in Fairy Hills and rent out multiple rooms to make more room if they wanted more space. The top floor also had the advantage of being able to step right out onto the roof of the floor below them since it wasn't as wide as the other ones because of it being designed to accommodate less people. Not only did they share a large communal patio with everyone else on the third floor, but they also had access to their own personal roof area that they could choose to do whatever they liked with. Such as possibly having a small garden or something along those lines, it just really depends on who decided to buy those rooms.

Back to the main part of the guildhall, for the first two levels it pretty much stayed the same as before except for being a lot bigger due the size increase. And also the slight change of the Infirmary now located on the ground floor so that it could be accessed easier than before. The first floor still had the main room with the bar and stage located in it, although this time there was an additional bar in the center that only served drinks since that was the most common thing ordered and it would make it easier on the barmaids. The other bar was roughly in the same place as before, now just having a huge kitchen behind it that could make pretty much anything that you could imagine so long as they had the correct ingredients for it.

The only other things on the ground level was the library, indoor training area and a few other storage rooms and small rooms that teams could check out to plan missions. Or they could possibly be used to get away from the chaos that was usually a common thing for their main hall. All of these room except for the library were decked out with lacrima screens that could fill them in on news around Fiore or switch to the some of the cameras that looked over the arena that was now in their court yard that had the rest of their outdoor training facilities and a pool that was even bigger than the one before. Moving up to the second level, this floor would definitely be described as the administration part of the guild hall now due to it having all of the offices for the new positions that Natsu made and even had a few extras just in case he happened to make a few more positions later on. A large chunk of this floor was lost because of the main hall having an open ceiling that went up three floors and it was surrounded by tables and booths allowing more people to participate in any parties they might have that are larger than just the first floor. Another thing that took up some of this floor's area was the second level of the library since it couldn't be contained to just the first floor.

The third floor of the guildhall was quite a bit smaller than the previous two, and if you adding in the fact that it was also open in the middle for the main hall there wasn't much to have up there. And because of this Natsu decided that this is where his office would be located, with a new room that was now designated as their meeting room where they would have their weekly meetings. Or if they had a large number of important guests visiting at once, it would be in this room that they would discuss whatever brought them there since it was furnished quite nicely and protected from anyone trying to listen in on them. Natsu's office was also decked out like that as well but couldn't hold nearly as many people at once and was more designed to be a personal space for him to work on his paperwork and other duties that come along with running a guild.

Now the final two floors were left as a mystery for most of the guild as they worked on the construction. But after apparently clearing it with Ultear, Natsu announced that it would be the living quarters for the Master and his family. And in his case it meant that he needed all of the two remaining floors to house all of them, with the exception of Cobra and the other two dragon slayer who both decided they wanted their own rooms for once that they could have all to themselves if you excluded their Exceeds of course. While Cobra on the other hand decide to have his own place on the third floor of the male's wing, possibly already planning ahead for when a certain barmaid might move in with him. This announcement shocked most of the guild since they all knew that Natsu loved living out in the woods like he did up till this point, but after having a long discussion with him about it they realized that if he lived at the guild he would have more time to spend with his family. Something that he clearly wanted to do since he had it where everyone in the guild could live there if they chose to that is, and he also pointed out that they would still have his old place to go to if they ever felt like it.

You might think that this was everything that Natsu had planned for their new guildhall, but you would be dead wrong. Before they even got to work on the actual framework he had them dig out a large basement two stories deep, and bellow that they also installed four more bunkers like he had throughout the city. But back to the basement, in it he set up everything he would need to work with Cid and Bianca at the guild and continue making drake fighting equipment. Also down there they constructed their own heavy duty prison, that he truly hoped they wouldn't ever have to use but built it thinking that it would be better to just have it in case they ever needed it. The rest of the basement was mainly a storage area, since it now also contained their two different vaults and the secret archives of magical devices and books they recovered from Grimoire Heart. Although the biggest change would probably be the addition of a few secret tunnels that they could use to escape from the guildhall if they ever felt the need to. But this also had another purpose, which was to help hide another secret tunnel that Natsu went to great lengths to even keep hidden from most of his own mages, that was now also equipped with traps and all sorts of other devices and spells to keep unwanted people away from it.

All in all it was quite the large scale construction they were trying to accomplish, since it was easily going to become the largest building in all of Magnolia, even beating out Kardia Cathedral. Not only that, but Natsu was making sure that it was constructed from the best material he could buy and even had certain runes inscribed in it throughout the whole construction. All of this led to their new guildhall pretty much becoming a fortress that Natsu was fairly confident that even a drake would have a hard time demolishing, which it better since he spent almost all of his jewels on it. Making sure that he didn't have to worry about another Raven Tail incident occurring in it, especially now that his little infants were going to pretty much be in it twenty four seven for who knows how long.

Currently right now most of the guild was gathered out in front of their now completely finished guildhall looking up as Sting and Rogue as the two let down the large banner that had the Fairy Tail emblem proudly displayed on it for the whole world to see. And as soon as it was completely unfurled a loud cheer rang out from the gathered members since this signified that their guildhall was finally done with construction and up and running like they used to be a month ago. Something that some would argue could have been declared a week ago when people started to move in and start going out on jobs again. But according to Natsu it wasn't done until it met his standards that everyone agreed were ridiculously high.

"How's it look!" shouted Sting from right underneath the large bell smiling down at all of them.

"It looks perfect; now get down here before you do something stupid!" Natsu shouted back up to him with a large grin spread across his face. Sting of course brushed off the comment about him doing something stupid and disappeared in a flash of white, no doubt running to them as fast as he could. While Rogue on the other hand went into his shadow form and went down the side of the guildhall in a matter of seconds, resulting in both of them reappearing in front of Natsu at the same time.

"Can we start training now?" asked an excited Sting. Why he was so excited to go start training Natsu would never know since they've already been using the facility outside for a while now, but he wasn't going to possibly ruin the young blonde's motivation by questioning it.

"Of course you can." he answered still grinning. Watching as the two dragon slayers and a few other mages charged into the guildhall like it was the most exciting place for them to be at in the world.

"It looks good Master Dragneel." said Macao as he patted him on the back.

"That it does, and I'm glad that you decided to have it keep the same design as the last one." stated Laki with a large smile.

"You and me both Laki, if we changed it any more than what we already have how in the world would the Tenrou Group find us?" chuckled Jet with a smug grin spread across his face as Laki glared at him.

"You're joking Jet, but honestly I don't even know if they'll believe this is our guildhall when they see it for the first time." said Wakaba as he handed Natsu a lit cigar that the dragon slayer instantly slipped into his mouth.

"You've got to be kidding me, that huge banner is all they need to figure out it's our guildhall." he argued while pointing at the large orange cloth with a white Fairy Tail emblem in the middle of it.

"Going by that logic they might mistake FT for our guildhall since it also has a similar banner." stated Kei with a smile as she came out of the guildhall and headed towards them. This only caused Jet and a few others to start snickering at the thought of the Tenrou Group making that mistake, and how shocked they would be once they saw their current guildhall.

"That will only happen if they show up without any of us realizing that they back, which I highly doubt will happen since we've got a few dragon slayers here." replied Natsu, glad to see that the guild was back to how it was before Raven Tail attacked them.

"Good point, but I actually came out here to tell you that your wife needs you." she said, enjoying how Natsu's eyes always sparkled a little whenever someone referred to Ultear as his wife.

"Well then I have to be going before she gets upset with me." he said with a smirk as he headed towards his new guildhall and home for the foreseeable future, at least until Makarov returns that is and takes up the position of Master once again he thought to himself while imagining the look the elderly man would have at seeing their new home.

 **End of chapter**

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Thanks for reading and I hope that you all enjoyed it, and I was honestly thinking about not having the description of the guildhall in this chapter. But after thinking about it I thought that it might be better to get it out of the way since the next chapter will hopefully wrap up the rest of this year. And it might have that little synopsis I do where I go over what else occurred during any large chunks of time I might skip. So feel free to leave a review or pm and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.**

 **Oh and if you would like me to update faster or possibly start a new story I have information about that on my profile page.**

 **Until the next Chapter**

 **Digem Out!**


	32. A New Slayer Approaches

Ch 32: A New Slayer Approaches

 **June 5th X788 at Fairy Tail:**

As Natsu entered through the front doors of their newly constructed guildhall he couldn't help but keep his smirk from earlier as he looked over the place. It was full of so much life and activity, just like how he always thought it should be in his opinion. Members were spread throughout the whole building, most were in the main hall drinking as they conversed with their friends about this and that. While others were crowded around the job board looking for some sort of job that was to their liking. To no one's shock there was even a brawl going on in the center of the room, courtesy of a certain blonde dragon slayer. But the one thing that made Natsu the happiest, even more than a brawl starting up without his assistance, was the sight of his family at the other side of the room.

His wife was currently holding Asher and Milo, who both looked like they wanted to be exploring the guild at the moment with how much they were fidgeting. And on the right side of the three of them was little Liza happily reading a book that just so happened to be about dragons that weren't the villains like they usually were in stories. Continuing on down the line was Meredy, who at the moment was holding a sleeping Ava who was clearly like her father since she could somehow sleep during all of the chaos that is Fairy Tail. Sitting across from the three of them was Kagura, who couldn't help but smile at the two boys that Ultear was still holding onto. As Natsu was watching them Kei came up behind him and gave him a little shove forwards, which was what he needed at the moment, otherwise he would have continued to stand there and smile at them like a weirdo.

"Thanks Kei." he stated while heading towards Ultear with one of his usual grins.

"Each and every day it makes more and more sense to me why Meredy insists on calling you a weirdo." replied Kei as she fell into step with him since they both had the same destination in mind.

"Fairy Tail is full of weirdos and I honestly wouldn't have it any other way." he said while batting away a chair that was heading towards the back of his head. "Just look around, every single member here is weird in some way or another." he continued to say while doing a broad gesture to the whole guildhall.

"And you're the biggest weirdo of us all." she mumbled with a slight smirk as they came up to the table that contained the group they both were heading to. With him slipping into the spot next to his wife with her taking the spot across from him on the other side of the table.

"Daddy!" cheered Liza as she dropped the book she used to be reading and scurried around to him. Instantly being snatched up by him and brought into a hug that turned into him tickling her for a little bit.

"How's one of daddy's favorite little girls doing?" he asked after setting her on his lap.

"Great, I was reading about a dragon that was like Igneel and wasn't mean to people." she replied, only to then start telling him everything she could about the book that she was reading before he came in. "And that's all I got to read about before you came." she finished while smiling up at him with one that rivaled his own.

"Is that so? Then I think you need to go and finish it, since your mommy and I need to have a little chat that will most likely be boring for you." he said with a toothy grin sent her way.

"Okay Daddy!" she responded while not getting off of his lap and trying to reach for her book that was out of her reach. Seeing this Kagura couldn't help but giggle as she slid the book over to the little girl who quickly went back to reading while sitting on her father's lap.

"She isn't the only one that wants some attention from their daddy." stated Ultear as she passed over Asher to him, who then started to babble happily as soon as he was being held by Natsu.

"That's because we salmon haired individuals need to stick together, isn't that right Asher?" he asked the little boy who let out a happy little yelp.

"You do realize that it's not salmon and it's actually pink Natsu, I would know since it's my hair color as well." commented Meredy as she leaned around Ultear so he could see her smug grin.

"Sorry to break it to you Meredy, but I've been on this world longer than you have so I think I would know." he replied with a hint of defiance in his voice, this being a common discussion between the two of them once Meredy found out how she seemed to be the only one to get him upset about his hair anymore.

"Yeah for like maybe seven years, wait a minute how old are you actually?" she asked now with a stunned expression since they never celebrated his birthday since she joined Fairy Tail. Something that wouldn't have been odd in her old guild, but at Fairy Tail they always had some sort of celebration for a guild member's birthday. So realizing that they somehow all forgot to do this for Natsu of all people was quite the surprise for her and everyone else listening in.

"Somewhere around the age of twenty five I think." he replied while not looking up from Asher, who he was currently playing with in his arms.

"How in the world do you not know how old you are, Master?" asked Kagura as she looked at him with a slightly sad look in her eyes.

"Igneel and I never celebrated my birthday, actually I didn't even know about such a thing until I came to Fairy Tail. And after finding out I honestly didn't see the point in them besides having another reason to start up a guild wide brawl." he answered still preoccupied with one of his little boys.

"Didn't you ever want to have one of your own?" asked Kei, who like everyone else listening in on the conversation felt bad for their pink haired dragon slayer.

"Maybe when I first joined, but after celebrating a few of them I realized that I didn't need one of my own since I was always having so much fun at everyone else's. Oh and why did you want to talk with me Ul?" he replied, only to then turn to look at his wife with a questioning look. And just like that, everyone gathered there knew that the discussion about his birthday was tabled for the time being. But a few of them made sure to make mental notes about talking with each other about this once he was busy with something else and possibly fix what he didn't see as a problem.

"The main reason was because a certain someone really wanted to see you." she replied while smiling at how happy Asher was now that he was being held by his dad. "And the other reason was to discuss a few things with you, such as that one topic we were discussing the other day." finished Ultear as she was now gazing into his eyes.

"Thanks to us now living at the guild I'll definitely get to spend more time with all of you, and have you decided one way or another on that other thing?" he asked in a surprisingly excited tone, which piqued the interest of everyone else.

"That I have Natsu, and I am all for it." she replied with a bright smile, only for her to then be brought into a kiss by the ecstatic dragon slayer.

"Gross." mumbled Liza giving the two of them a quick eye roll before going back to her book. This caused the parents to stop their kiss and chuckle at their daughter along with most of the other occupants at the table they were sitting at.

"I'm going to have to agree with her on that one, and are the two of you being deliberately vague about whatever it is that you're currently talking about?" asked Meredy as she looked between the two of them.

"Yes we are Meredy, and for a good reason." answered Natsu as he started to read the page that Liza was currently on.

"And why is that?" she asked back, not liking that he wasn't telling them anything new.

"Because we don't know if we'll actually be able to do what we just agreed upon." replied Ultear, who was now gently rocking Milo to sleep.

"Now that makes all of this even more intriguing." stated Kei as she, Meredy and Kagura looked at the couple with inquisitive look.

"So what else did you want to talk to me about, Ultear?" he asked, completely ignoring the disgruntled looks he was getting from the three girls at their table for glossing over all of this as if it were nothing. And judging by the smug looks on his and Ultear's face, they knew that the two of them were doing this on purpose now.

"That you've gotten a few more letters from the Council about becoming a Wizard Saint and a different one arrived today that looked really important." said Ultear, enjoying this rare occasion of having the other three women upset like this.

"You two do realize that ignoring us right now will only make us even more persistent later on." commented Meredy as the two other girls nodded their heads in agreement.

"I'm probably just going to toss it into the pile with the rest." he replied, once again pretending that he didn't hear Meredy or the other two.

"If it was something really important they would have sent a representative, oh and Jude called to say that he's found more properties that are ideal for your plans. He also said something about buying up those other businesses that you wanted, and that they are now working together like the two of you planned." said the time mage, in a mirthful tone while having a large grin spread across her lips.

"That's good to hear, it will probably only take a year now until we get the first batch of them." he said in a cheery tone as he went back to playing with his son.

"Okay you two, that's enough!" stated Meredy in an upset tone, which then resulted with Ava waking up and starting to cry. This of course caused Meredy to instantly start apologizing as she passed the little girl to her mother, who got the little one calmed down after a few minutes.

"Shame on you two, and don't feel bad Meredy. If anyone should it should be those two for stringing the three of you along like they did." stated Kinana as she came over with a tray of drinks for all of them. "And that goes double for you Master Dragneel." she said while pulling back the drink that she brought specifically for him.

"Why am I the one getting into more trouble?" he asked with a sly smirk.

"Because Meredy is your daughter and the other two are your precious guild members." she stated while rolling her eyes at him. "And don't start trying to say that Master Makarov did similar things to you so now it's your turn." she said as he started to open his mouth only to close it.

"You know you can be a real buzzkill sometimes, Kinana." replied Natsu with a little grin since he wasn't actually upset with her.

"Just a small part of being one of your advisors, and going along with those duties of mine I feel the need to say this to you. I really think you shouldn't just toss aside that new letter from the Council that isn't like the other ones." she said while finally giving him back his drink.

"Fine Kinana, I'll take a look at it, but shouldn't you be the one telling me to do stuff like this?" he asked while turning to look at Ultear.

"Probably, but I've been a little preoccupied with our three new little bundles of joy to be concerned about you acting like a child." replied Ultear with a smirk, knowing that he was now giving her a shocked look.

"I'm not acting like a child!" he stated in a shocked and slightly hurt tone, only for him to then break into a deep chuckle. "But you can't really blame me for wanting to have a little fun every now and again." he said while having one of his toothy grins spread across his face.

"But don't you have fun during all of your fights, Daddy?" asked Liza while looking up at him with a confused expression.

"I also thought that's how you usually had fun." stated Kei, as Meredy nodded her head in agreement.

"And I do, but that's kind of become more of a chore for me recently." he answered, and could see by some of their still confused expression that he'd probably have to elaborate on that a little more. "What I mean by that is that now I realize how important it is for everyone to get as strong as they can while under my supervision and guidance. I don't want to ever experience again what we did a month ago, which is why I've also been a little stricter during my spars." he explained with a slight frown.

"No kidding, some of the newer members were wondering if they did something wrong to upset you." said Kagura with a blank expression.

"I'm hoping you informed them that they didn't?" he asked her, now upset with not making some sort of announcement explaining himself.

"I did, even though I'm sure that most of them figured it out on their own since they didn't stop coming to your sessions." she replied while smiling at Asher who was now looking at her intently.

"Good, but I think I should probably tell them as well just to be safe." he said with a thoughtful look as he looked out over the rest of the guildhall.

"Is that all Daddy?" asked Liza still happily sitting on his lap.

"I guess the other reason that it's not as fun for me anymore is because most of the time I'm not really being challenged." he answered with a wistful look as he remembered all of the times he challenged members stronger than him. Such as Erza, Laxus and Gildarts, or even when he challenged members like Gray and Gajeel who were both around his level but could still put up one hell of a fight against him.

"Aren't your fights with the drakes challenging?" asked Ultear with a worried expression, since finding this out about him was a little disturbing. Because the last thing she wanted was him to start looking forward to his battles with the drakes where he might never come back to them.

"Oh they are, but I would much rather fight with a strong opponent where I know that if I lose I'll still be able to come back to you and everyone else." he replied with a serious expression. "Not to mention that fighting a drake is completely different than fighting a fellow mage. I guess I'm just trying to say that it sucks that I don't really have a rival anymore like I did when Gray and the rest of them were still with us." he finished with a fond smile slowly spreading across his face.

"What about Cobra?" asked Kagura, knowing that another dragon slayer would probably be the closest to a suitable rival for him.

"He's one hell of a fighter for sure, but considering that I'm now the one training him I kind of know all of his moves. And can usually predict what he's going to do before he even does it, not to mention the whole Alpha thing." he said while readjusting Asher into a better position.

"What's you being his Alpha got to do with any of this?" asked Kei with a confused expression.

"More than you'd think." answered Kinana as she came back to the table. "If Master Dragneel ever loses to him then Erik would become the new Alpha of their pack, or whatever you call a group of dragon slayers." she said while looking over at the only dragon slayer present.

"It really depends on who you talk to about that one. A group of dragons is usually referred to as a clan or hold, but since they usually sleep in the same area they've also been called a nest before." replied Natsu while no longer looking at his son and sparing a quick glance with all of them. "The same can be said for dragon slayers since we take on a few of their customs like the whole Alpha thing. So I guess you could call our group of dragon slayers the Fairy Tail Clan." he stated while going back to devoting most of his attention to Asher.

"Good to know, but now going back to what I was saying before about Erik not being a good candidate for Master's rival. Even if he wanted to overthrow Master Dragneel, Erik wouldn't be able to do it for a few reasons that probably won't change for a really long time." continued Kinana as she took a seat with them.

"Like what?" asked Meredy, not liking the idea of Natsu possibly being dethroned even if it didn't seem very likely to happen any time soon.

"The first reason would be Natsu being on a whole different level than what Cobra is at right now. And that's just going by their magic levels, if you add in the experience Natsu now also has over him it's not even a contest." stated Ultear in a very proud tone as she smiled at her husband.

"Oh I'm not actually that far above him." he denied while shaking his head back and forth.

"I think the Council disagrees with you on that since they are very persistent on trying to get you to become one of the Ten Wizard Saints." she pointed out with a smug grin that caused him to scoff but otherwise remain silent.

"So what is one of the other reason's Cobra couldn't challenge Natsu for Alpha?" asked Meredy, wanting to know everything she could to hopefully prevent it from ever getting to that point.

"Another would be that Master Dragneel hasn't done anything to show that he's not worthy of being their Alpha." answered Kinana with a bright smile while reaching over and giving Natsu a fancy looking letter with the Council's Seal on it.

"I haven't yet, and it seems like Erik is filling you in on everything that he knows." stated Natsu with a sly grin. "And did you really have to go and get this for me at this exact moment?" he asked while looking over at her with a skeptical look.

"Yes he has, and yes I did, otherwise you most likely would have forgotten about it like everything else the Council sends to you." she replied with a bright smile.

"That's because they just keep sending me those damn letters about becoming a Wizard Saint or bills for one of our guild members getting a little too carried away during a job of theirs." he said while letting out a tired sigh and opening the letter. The rest of them sat in silence while he quickly read it, which turned out to take a while for unknown reasons that only made them curious as to what the Council had to say to him.

"So what did they have to say Dear?" asked Ultear after he set the letter down on the table. She didn't like the stern expression that came over his face as he did so since he usually only had that look when something serious was going on.

"That I've been summoned to an important meeting in about a month and that I'm expected to be there no matter what. Well except for in the unlikely case of another drake attack, which I'm a little surprised that they actually put that in there." he answered while maintaining his stern look as he looked off in the distance.

"Do you have any idea what it might be about?" asked Kagura, who just like everyone else there had a feeling that this wasn't about him becoming a Wizard Saint anymore.

"It specifically said that the main purpose of this meeting of theirs was a matter of national security, and that they hoped to have it where I'm not needed by the time this meeting takes place. So whatever it is must be pretty serious to give me this long of a heads up and also tell me that it's not about recruiting me." he replied while still looking off, although now with a thoughtful look coming over his visage.

"Maybe they're finally going to start contributing to the fight against drakes." chimed in Macao as he and Wakaba came up to the group.

"Or they could only be saying all of that other stuff to get you there and try to force you into the position of Wizard Saint." suggested Wakaba as he let out a puff of smoke. Smoke that all of a sudden stopped on its trip upwards only to condense to a small ball and then float an inch in front of his face.

"What did I say about smoking in front of my kids, Wakaba?" asked Natsu in a menacing tone that reminded everyone how protective he was about his kids.

"Sorry Master Dragneel, it won't happen again, I promise." stuttered out the smoke mage as he got rid of his pipe and let out a little sigh of relief when Natsu ate the smoke that was hovering in front of him in a slightly threatening way.

"And I've got a feeling that this isn't just about them trying to get me to work for them anymore. I just hope it doesn't have anything to do with the state that I left their dragon slayer in the last time I saw him." he replied with a slightly worried tone.

"I thought you just beat him up a little." stated Macao with an eyebrow raised.

"It would probably be more accurate to say I completely owned him and showed him how far beneath me he truly was. After that he got front row seats to me taking on two drakes and then setting up a possible treaty with them." he clarified with a little grin slowly forming on his face. That he then lost when Asher made an upset noise, probably wanting his father attention like he once had a few moments ago.

"Okay, that doesn't really surprise any of us and I honestly don't think it would really surprise the Council either. So why are you concerned that the Council might be upset over something like that?" asked Ultear, knowing that he usually didn't worry about things with no good reason.

"Because I also told Daniel that he should tell them exactly what happened that day. And as he pointed out to me before I left him, the treaty that I might be forming with the fires drakes is exactly that. A treaty between just me and them." he said while sparing her a quick glance.

"Oh, and once again they are probably concerned that the balance of power has shifted more in your favor than it already was." she stated, knowing that is exactly what he was currently thinking about and how the Council might try to get it back so they were the ones calling the shots.

"Just another joy of being the Guild Master." said Macao with a smug grin.

"More like another reason I shouldn't be. I honestly hate all of this political crap that I have to now deal with almost every other day." he huffed out in a slightly upset tone.

"Natsu, you do realize that even if you weren't the Master that you'd still have to deal with this stuff." replied his wife in a knowing tone as she looked over at his shocked expression.

"How so?" he asked while going back to playing with the son currently in his arms.

"You're a powerful mage Natsu, and because of that you'll always have to deal with this sort of thing. Not only that but you've saved countless lives from the drake attacks so far, which the whole country has seen and has somewhat made you into a hero." she explained with a loving smile.

"I guess you're probably right, but I still don't like any of it and could honestly do without." he mumbled back with a slight smile, once again wondering how he got so lucky to end up with a woman like her.

"And that is one of the reasons you're good at it, you cut through all of their bullshit and get straight to the point where you then do what you think is right." said Macao, only to get a glare from the two parents. "Sorry, it's really hard to stop swearing all of a sudden." he stated with a sheepish grin.

"We know, but neither of us wants any of our children's first words to be a curse word they picked up from a guild member." said Ultear while giving all of the men at the table a deadly glare.

"So are you going to go to this meeting, Master Dragneel?" asked Kinana with a bright smile.

"Yeah, they really didn't give me an option not to on this one." he replied with one of his usual grins.

"You don't think it could be some sort of trap, do you?" asked Kei with a slightly terrified look washing over her face as she said it.

"If it's a trap then they really don't know who they're dealing with, and if you want I can check out whatever it is you're all talking about before you do Master Dragneel." said Jet as he and the rest of Team Shadow Gear came over.

"It's not a trap and there'll be no need for that Jet, but thanks for offering." replied Natsu as he waved off the idea of the Council doing something that stupid. "So how did your job go?" he asked while looking at the three new arrivals.

"Another job well done, with no complications whatsoever." declared Laki with a bright smile sent to her two teammates.

"Dang, is that the third S-Class mission you three have done in a row like that?" asked Wakaba with an impressed expression coming over his face as he went to light his pipe. But before the flames could even try and ignite his tobacco they were sucked up by a very displeased dragon slayer.

"It's actually our fourth." answered Droy in a hollow tone as he headed over to the bar and took a seat. And before anyone could even ask what was going on Jet was already next to his partner and ordering them both a drink. Leaving the rest of them to turn towards Laki with a questioning look on all of their faces.

"Our third S-Class job didn't finish until after it was too late for any of us to help with what happened a month ago." she explained with a worried look sent to the guild's resident plant mage. "Droy picked it out not realizing how long it would take us to complete, and because of that he feels responsible for us not being here when the guild needed us the most." she finished with a prominent frown now on her lips.

"I'll talk with him before you three head out on another job." said Natsu as he looked over at the two men at the bar now sharing a laugh about an old memory.

"Team Shadow Gear might be the guild's strongest team these days." stated Macao with a mischievous grin.

"Easy there Old Timer." interrupted Meredy while giving him a deadly glare. "I can think of a certain team composed of three beautiful young ladies that could easily give them a run for their money." she finished with a proud tone in her voice.

"Maybe before the triplets were born, but now I don't think so." replied Laki with a grin of her own now spread across her lips.

"Is that so?" asked Kagura as she got up from the table and headed over to where Laki was standing. During this time Meredy passed Ava back to her mother and went over to back up her teammate since she was the one who kind of started it.

"It is, I mean when was the last time the three of you actually did an S-Class job." she pointed out.

"I'll admit that it's been a while since the three of us have done one, but that doesn't mean your team is now the strongest." argued Kagura as Meredy nodded her head in agreement, while Kei on the other hand remained at the table seeming like she didn't want to get involved in any of this.

"Sounds like an excuse if you ask me." she stated while turning away from them with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

"Why you…" seethed Kagura as she glared at the back of the woman.

"Easy now, it would seem that she and Macao are hoping to start some sort of rivalry between your teams. And just so everyone knows it really doesn't matter whose team is the strongest, which definitely can't be measured by the number of S-Class jobs they complete. Otherwise Team Natsu would have never been unanimously declared as the strongest team of Fairy Tail." Natsu stated with a proud grin at the end.

"Sorry to break it to you Master Dragneel, but Team Natsu definitely wasn't unanimously declared our strongest team." said Wakaba with a concerned look, only to start chuckling at the shocked look that came over Natsu's face.

"You're kidding right?" he asked him back.

"Nope, there was the Thunder Legion and a few others that didn't really think of your team as the strongest." answered Macao since Wakaba couldn't stop chuckling at the face Natsu had after hearing this for probably the first time.

"Whatever, as I was saying before, a stupid title as the strongest team of Fairy Tail doesn't mean anything." he stated in a once again confident tone.

"Why are you all talking about Team Dragon Guard?" asked Sting as he and the other two dragon slayers came in through the back door.

"For the last time stop calling us that and I'm not on your team and neither is Salamander." grunted Cobra as he went straight for the spot next to Kinana.

"What in the world are you two talking about?" asked Wakaba, now intrigued by what hair brained idea Sting came up with.

"Our team of just dragon slayers." declared Sting while taking the spot that used to belong to Kagura, who at the moment was still slightly glaring at Laki. "And I won't stop calling us that until you come up with a better name for us. And we are so on a team no matter what the two of you say." he finished while giving the now awake Ava a huge smile.

"Daddy can I be on Team Dragon Guard once I'm older?" asked Liza with a hopeful look sent his way.

"Of course you can Honey, but only if it's okay with your mommy." replied Natsu with a little chuckle as Ultear gave him a quick glare. Knowing that he said that so she would have to be the bad guy in this situation if she turned the little girl down, but unluckily for him she wasn't going to let it play out that way.

"I see no reason you can't since your father is part of the team and will never let anything bad happen to you." she said in a sweet tone that the older gentlemen knew meant anything but that if Natsu did let anything happen to Liza.

"Thank you Mommy and Daddy!" cheered Liza happily before jumping off of Natsu's lap to go and tell the great news to a few other guild members that she spent time with. Like Alzack and Bisca, who just so happened to be coming in through the front doors with a little Asuka in her father's arms.

"I told you that he was part of the team Cobra, and with both of you on it there is no way for us to not be considered the strongest team." declared the blond haired dragon slayer proudly. But as with a lot of things that the hyperactive dragon slayer says, it was pretty much completely ignored as he continued to boast about how awesome their team was.

"Are you really okay with her eventually joining Sting's team that pretty much only deals with drakes?" Natsu asked his wife with a skeptical look plastered all over his face.

"I am so long as you're always with her, and just look at how happy she is even though it'll be a few years before we allow it." she replied while they both looked at Liza excitedly telling the other parents in the guild about the great news. But the two were then drawn out of their gaze as it seemed the topic of strongest team was getting heated once again for some unknown reason.

"Sorry to burst your bubble Sting, but Natsu is also on our team so he doesn't really count. And since Cobra says he isn't either, our team is definitely stronger than your dynamic duo." taunted Meredy as Sting glared up at her since she was still a little bit taller than he was.

"We could definitely beat you three if we were allowed to go all out." he growled back at her.

"Now that would be a fight to see, and now that I'm thinking about it Natsu is also a member of Team Shadow Gear so I can say the same thing to you Meredy." stated Laki, making Natsu start wondering what in the world got into the girl that usually only acted this hostile towards men she was confident were perverts.

"And I still think we could mop the floor with your team." spoke up Kagura as she glared at the violet haired wood mage.

"I feel like the only way for us to settle all of this would be a little competition. What do you three think?" she asked back while looking at the two girls and Sting.

"You're on." all three of them said at the same time as a determined grin spread across each of their faces. And just like that they all went to get the rest of their team to head out into the courtyard and get this competition started.

"Hold on just a moment all of you." said Natsu in a loud enough voice that they stopped where they were and looked at him questioningly. "If you three are serious about all of this I think that it will only be fair if we make it a little more official. Each team will get to pick one judge for these competitions and I unfortunately will not be one of them. And these three judges along with the rest of the guild will come up with the appropriate tests, since slugging it out in the arena won't really prove anything." he stated with a warm smirk spread across his face since they all half expected him to settle it that way.

"Why can't you be one of the judges Master Dragneel?" asked Rogue, wondering why that was pretty much the only real rule that Natsu declared.

"Because I've got a feeling that this little debate of theirs might come up more than I want to deal with. So if it ever does they will just have to settle it like we are today, oh and you can only use the members that are currently at the guild for all of this. And my final decision is that this little competition can only happen once every three months, so whoever wins them gets to keep the stupid title of strongest team in Fairy Tail until a different team takes it away from them." he explained while getting up and started heading towards the stairs.

"We pick Ultear!" declared Meredy with an excited gleam in her eyes.

"And we'll pick Macao since he'll be impartial just like her." replied Laki with a smug grin. As she watched Meredy look at Ultear with a questioning look, only for the time mage to nod her head that she wouldn't be giving her adoptive daughter's team any special treatment.

"What exactly are we doing?" asked a completely confused Jet. While Droy could only shake his head at his best friends cluelessness, since even he picked up on enough of the loud conversation to get the gist of it.

"Our own little Grand Magic Games." answered Droy as he started to stretch since it seemed like it might be a little fun.

"Well we've already got two of the three judges so far, so who's going to be the third?" asked Macao as he poured himself another beer while the rest of them looked at Sting.

"We pick Kinana as our judge!" declared the young dragon slayer, slightly catching the rest of them off guard by his choice.

"Thanks Sting, I would love to help figure out which team is our strongest." replied the barmaid with a bright smile.

"No offense Kinana, but why in the world did you pick her?" asked Kagura as they all started to head out to their courtyard where their arena and other training gear was located.

"None taken." she replied still having that smile she was usually seen with.

"Oh you'll see." was Sting's cryptic reply.

"I can take them for you." said Natsu as he came down the stairs with one of his toothy grins spread across his mug. "Or are you going to take them out there and have them help you figure out who the winners are?" he asked with a little chuckle.

"As fun as that sounds, I think not." replied Ultear as she slowly passed them over to him. "And what are you planning to do while everyone else is preoccupied with this?" she asked him back with a sly look sent his way.

"Probably get to some paperwork I've been pushing off for far too long." he answered with a tired sigh that caused her to giggle at him.

"To think that you would actually choose paperwork over watching fellow guild members competing against each other." she stated after passing Ava over to him.

"Who said I won't be watching them at the same time on one of the lacrima screens?" he asked her back with a smirk that then turned into the two of them sharing a quick kiss.

"Despite all of your complaining you're actually a really good guild Master." she said while slowly walking away from him, deliberately swaying her hips more than she usually would. And right before she exited through the back entrance of the guildhall she gave him a sultry grin.

"Your mother is something else." he said to Ava and Milo while shaking his head as he headed up to put them down for an official nap. So that he could hopefully get a little work done while it was peaceful, something that was very seldom for him these days.

 **An hour later:**

Currently Natsu was sitting in his office with Ava sitting on his lap while he continued to do some paperwork as the other two were still peacefully asleep in the crib he brought in here for this exact reason. As for the rest of the guild, they were still working out all of the details on what competitions they would be using to determine which team was the strongest. Something that he knew would take a really long time to do, thus why he opted completely out of it to focus on other things he deemed more important. Not that having fun wasn't an important thing that he made sure still occurred in Fairy Tail, but after reading that letter from the Council he couldn't shake the feeling that something big was going to happen soon.

And with that in mind he decided to try and wrap up as many of his little projects that he could, of course some of them weren't close to being complete by a long shot. But those that were nearing their end could have most of their loose ends wrapped up. Other than that, Natsu wanted to make sure that everything was in place for Fairy Tail to function without his presence in case things with the Council ended up taking a turn for the worse. A possibility that he knew was very slim, but still there was enough of a possibility for him to start taking precautions and getting ready if it ever did.

"Dada!" cheered Ava as she started to reach up for him. This caused him to break out of those depressing thoughts and pick her back up and position her on the left side of his chest while giving her one of his toothy grins.

"Did you get tired of playing by yourself, Ava?" he asked while gently poking her plump little tummy, which elicited a joyous squeal from the little girl.

"Of course you did, so was your daddy." he said while smiling at her. "Not with playing of course, but with doing his paperwork that never seems to end. And that's even after Uncle Macao and Uncle Wakaba sort through all of the tediously boring stuff." he said while she started to babble back to him.

"Should we see if anyone is doing anything exciting in the guildhall while we're both up here bored?" he asked her knowing that she wasn't going to give him any sort of response other than her babble. And that is exactly what he got, which was all he really needed to hear to pull out a remote and turn on a different lacrima screen and start switching through the cameras in the guildhall. After doing this for a little while he was slightly shocked to pretty much find the place completely deserted, and those that were still there were either reading something or in the process of picking out a new job.

That is until he noticed what appeared to be someone nervously hiding behind one of the pillars in the main hall. If this had been a few weeks ago he might have been a little concerned about a stranger trying to hide in the guild, but that was before all of the work he put into securing the guild in numerous ways. Such as an intricate set of runes that would alert him whenever someone enters with the intent of harming someone from the guild. This by no means was easy to get worked out, especially since he didn't want it to go off whenever someone wanted to start a brawl or got into a fight with a friend. Both of them were things that he knew were bound to be frequent, more so for the brawls since this was Fairy Tail.

"Looks like we have a visitor, Ava." he stated while turning both lacrima screens off and getting out of his chair. "Should we go down and say hi?" he asked, only for Ava to let out a happy little yelp as they headed to the exit. But not before he turned on the baby monitor and took the receiver so that he would instantly know if either of his boys woke up.

And as soon as he stepped out of his office he smelt the scent of the stranger and couldn't help but smile as he made his way down the stairs. He was now thinking that it definitely took them long enough to take him up on his offer, but then again if they couldn't ride transportation like he could just a few years ago. Then this is probably how long it would have taken him to travel that distance while of course doing a few other things along the way, which he had to assume this stranger did since there really wasn't any reason for them to rush.

"Well if it isn't the elusive dragon slayer that was stalking me around a month ago." said Natsu in a normal voice as he descended the stairs with Ava still on his left side holding onto him. This caused the few remaining members in the main hall to look at him as if he was crazy, since none of them noticed anyone from outside of the usual guild members enter the guildhall. Let alone another dragon slayer like he just said, which was definitely something that they would have noticed since they kind of stuck out in one way or another.

"I wasn't stalking you." came a feminine voice from behind the pillar that he knew she was behind only thanks to seeing her on the screen up in his office.

"Alright, how about following me?" he asked with a little chuckle.

"That would definitely be more accurate since stalking makes it sound like I've got a thing for you." she replied while still remaining unseen thanks to the pillar between the two of them.

"So are you going to stay behind that pillar for the rest of our conversation? Or do you want to come on out and say hi to me and my daughter?" he asked while Ava went back to happily babbling while grabbing one of his fingers that was about to poke her.

"No, but how do we know that we can trust you?" she asked him back, once again shocking him since he had absolutely no idea that there was two people back there.

"That's a really good question since you've already witnessed what I'm capable of when someone upsets me." he replied while pulling his finger away from Ava's little grasp and started to scratch his chin in thought. "So I guess the best answer I have for you is that I already trust you enough to have this little conversation of ours while I'm holding my little girl." he finally answered with a grin as he took a seat in one of the nearby chairs.

"That is a very good point." stated a new voice that sounded a little more masculine but definitely not manly.

"But he still has everyone else in here." she argued back, clearly still a little nervous about all of this.

"Could everyone else please leave the room and not come back until I say it's okay." said Natsu, and within the next minute it was now just him, Ava, and the two strangers that remained in the guildhall.

"I'm still not sure if we can trust him." she said in an unsure tone.

"If you're not going to actually see and talk with him, then why in the world did we even come here?" asked the second voice, clearly upset with how all of this was going down.

"I'm going to, but you saw what he did to that other dragon slayer." she snapped back at the other voice.

"That only happened because he challenged me and had no idea how complicated things actually are in the real world. Something that I'm fairly sure you already know considering how cautious you're being right now, and so long as you don't challenge me to a fight there is no reason for us to fight." he explained, afraid that he might have already ruined his chances with her after that incident with Daniel.

He then heard a little scoff, only for him to then hear what sounded like someone taking something out of a bag. "Whatever, I'm going to go and say hi to them." declared the other voice in a confident tone.

"Akiro, wait just a minute!" she hissed as more odd noises came from behind the pillar. The next thing Natsu knew, out came a purple Exceed with white paws that also had white on his stomach and the tips of his ears and tail. And upon seeing the flying Exceed in front of her, Ava let out a happy squeal and started to reach for him.

"Hello there Akiro and it would seem that Ava is really excited to meet you." said Natsu with a huge grin as the Exceed flew up to him and gave him a quick handshake before getting into Ava's reach and shaking her hand as well.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you Salamander, or do you prefer Master Dragneel?" asked Akiro as he tilted his head while waiting for an answer.

"Either one is fine by me, and if you really want to you can just call me Natsu since that whole formality thing doesn't really suit me." he replied while readjusting Ava as she continued to try and grab onto whatever she can of the purple Exceed.

"Really, because from our observation of you most people call you one of those name and the only ones that don't are your really close friends and family." stated Akiro while giving the pink haired dragon slayer a questioning look.

"Like I said before, you can call me whatever you want and for some reason those two have become the norm. And thanks for letting me know that you've been observing me for at least a few days." he said with a little grin forming on his lips.

"Look what you did Akiro, now he's going to think we are actually stalking him." said the feminine voice as she finally came out from behind the pillar to glare at her exceed for his mistake. The first thing Natsu took notice of was her black hair, that he thought he saw a month ago when she was watching him and Daniel fight. But what he definitely didn't notice that day was the purple streak that went down the front, along with some of her black hair covering her right eye. The rest of her hair went down to shoulder length and would probably best be described as wild since it jutted out in all sorts of different directions and somewhat resembled Natsu's spiky hair style.

She looked to be roughly around Meredy's age, either seventeen or eighteen years old and was already coming into her own body quite well. She had a body that would turn most men's heads and women would envy and almost do anything to have for their own. But after living with the likes of Erza, Mira, and the other strong women of Fairy Tail, Natsu knew that a body like that only came from years of constant training. Something that he could tell this new women did by the way she held herself and never really let her guard down while in an unfamiliar territory.

Currently she was wearing a grey hoodie that's lining was a deep purple that matched the streak she had in her hair. She wore the hoodie halfway unzipped, which allowed him to see that all she had underneath was a plain black sleeveless t-shirt. And the only other thing that set her hoodie apart from other ones was the purple letters going down the left sleeve that spelt GHOST. Slung over her right shoulder appeared to be a black and purple backpack that he could only assume was the thing making all of the noise before Akiro revealed himself. Natsu also assumed that it was what the two of them used to carry all of their supplies on their journey here.

Going further down her attire she had on a pair of simple black leather capris that had a few cargo pockets on the outside of her legs. Other than that they didn't appear to have any distinguishing features, just like the pair of black and purple sandals that looked like a pain to put on due to them going halfway up her calf. But it did look as if they were securely attached to her and wouldn't fall off in a battle, which was the main reason that he eventually got rid of his own. Overall Natsu couldn't help but smile at her appearance since it clearly stated to him at least that she could handle herself and most likely remained in the wild like he probably would have done if Makarov didn't run into him all those years ago.

"No he won't Miia, he'll understand that we were just being careful." argued Akiro as he glared back at his partner.

"You don't know that!" refuted the now identified Miia as the two of them were locked in an intense stare down.

"He's right you know, and it's a pleasure to finally meet you Miia." stated Natsu with a warm smile spread across his face. Only for the two of them to completely ignore him as Miia got angrier at her Exceed for letting out more information about herself.

"Now he knows my name." she hissed at him.

"So what? And you were the one to first give out my name like it was nothing important." pointed out the Exceed as they were now in each other's face.

"They've completely forgotten about the two of us." Natsu said with a cheery smile as he looked down at Ava who was intently watching the purple Exceed floating in the air. "And why in the world do you like Akiro so much already, you've barely even noticed Frosch or Lector." he asked with a little chuckle as the two sat there and listened to the other two argue about who's fault all of this was. This lasted for another full five minutes, which was around the time when Natsu started to lose his patience since if they were anything like him and Happy when they fought. Then this could literally go on well into the night, and there was no way in hell he was going to just sit by and waste his time like that.

"That's enough you two, does it really matter whose fault it is? Didn't you come here to actually talk with me about something?" he asked in a commanding tone that stopped the two in the middle of their fight.

"He's right you know." replied Akiro with a little grin.

"That he is." said Miia as she smiled back at her Exceed. "Before you left last time you mentioned about there being more than the three of us dragon slayers. And up until that day I thought that I was the only one left, even though Yurei mentioned that there were others out there." she continued with her confidence growing with each passing second.

"Well you aren't, and there are actually two more dragon slayers in my guild that are missing at the moment. And one of them is the only other female dragon slayer that I know of." said Natsu with a grin as a look of shock came over Miia's face.

"Really, where are they, and what type of dragon slayers are they?" she asked him back in an excited tone as she took a seat across from him. This caused Akiro to let out a quiet chuckle as he flew over to Ava and started to play with her since she never took her eyes off of him this whole time.

"I honestly don't know where they are at the moment, hence the whole missing part. But Gajeel is the iron dragon slayer while Wendy is the sky dragon slayer and is probably the nicest person you'll ever meet." he answered while watching Akiro play with his daughter that he was still holding.

"How do you not know where they are? You probably have the best senses I've ever run into since you were able to detect me and Akiro while we were masking our presence." she asked him back with a thoughtful expression coming over her face, which he now took notice of her one purple eye that wasn't covered by her hair.

"Because they were there one second and gone the next, along with the whole island that they and everyone else were on. And I usually would have instantly tried to find out what happened but there was a dragon out for my head so you know, not the ideal circumstances to investigate." he replied with a distant look in his eyes, finding it hard to believe how much has happened to him and the rest of the guild since then.

"You actually fought a dragon?" she asked him with her one eye wide open now.

"Yep, but we can talk about that at a different time. Right now I think we should probably discuss why you came here." he said in his master's tone as he looked at her with a stern expression.

"She wants to join." blurted out Akiro with a smug grin spread across his face from ear to ear.

"Akiro, just because we're partners doesn't mean I won't give you a good thrashing." she growled out, upset that he once again went ahead and told Natsu something that she was supposed to.

"I'd like to see you catch me." he taunted her back.

"I could right now." she replied with a sinister smirk coming over her lips.

"That probably wouldn't be a good idea since I'm playing with little Ava here. And I really don't think that you would want to accidentally hurt her while going after me." he proudly said back to her.

"That's low, even for you." she hissed back at him.

"All's fair in love and war." he said nonchalantly while going back to playing with Ava.

"When did this become war?" she asked him with a confused expression.

"Around the time you threatened me." he answered without looking at her. Neither of them expected to hear the deep chuckle that came out of Natsu after watching the two of them once again get into a little fight with each other.

"I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one who's partner can be quite the handful. And if you want to join Fairy Tail then all you need to do is tell me where you want your mark and in what color." chuckled out Natsu as he looked at the two of them giving him looks of complete disbelief.

"Just like that?" asked Akiro with his mouth still slightly hanging open in disbelief.

"Yep and the same goes for you." he replied while enjoying how they were handling this bit of information.

"We don't need to do any sort of test to prove ourselves or something along those lines?" she asked him in a skeptical tone since this definitely seemed too easy.

"Why does everyone think there is some sort of test? And no there is nothing like that, but you need to know that Fairy Tail isn't like most guilds out there. First and foremost we're a family that looks out for each other, which means that if someone hurts one of our members they will have to deal with the rest of us." he responded with a smile and a warm tone to his voice.

"Not that I'm saying either of you are planning to do something like that, but I feel like you should know that if you're joining us with ill intentions it'll eventually come out. And if that does happen then what you witnessed the first time you saw me will be nothing compared to what I'll do to someone that betrays my family." he said in a deadly tone that caused the two potentially new members to start shivering despite how warm it actually was in the guildhall. "Once again I don't believe that either of you are even capable of such a thing, but given what just happened to us recently I feel the need to let all new members know this before they join." he finished in his normal voice while giving them one of his signature grins.

"And how many new members have you gotten since then?" Akiro asked nervously since he could have sworn that he saw a menacing red dragon standing behind Natsu. As the dragon slayer pretty much told them that he would kill them if they betrayed Fairy Tail in any way, shape, or form.

"We've actually had ten new members join since then, and two others decided to leave without a word after hearing this. Of course I followed them and destroyed the little dark guilds that they belonged to. That were hoping to get some sort of fame or recognition by trying to infiltrate my guild, something that I don't really have to really worry about anymore after we completed this new guildhall." he answered while gesturing to the building at the end.

"And why don't you need to worry about something like that anymore?" asked Miia, finding it extremely odd that he would tell them something like that.

"Because of the various runes and other things that I set up while we constructed this place." he replied while locking eyes with the younger dragon slayer.

"If that's the case then why are you even telling us that last part?" asked the Exceed with an eyebrow raised questioningly.

"One can never be too careful these days, and I like to make my own judgements and see how potential members react to hearing what happens to someone trying to infiltrate us." he said with a smirk coming to his face once again. "So, do the two of you still want to join?" he asked while standing up and heading over to the bar in the middle of the room.

"It's up to you Miia, I'll follow you no matter what you decide." stated Akiro as he smiled at his partner. Who was currently looking like she was having an internal debate with herself, which lasted for a few minutes and ended with her having a big smile spread across her face.

"We're in." she declared with a bright smile sent at the father and daughter duo behind the bar now. But what she didn't expect to hear after she agreed to join was the sound of a boy cheering for joy outside of the guild, which she just realized was surprisingly quiet when it should have been quite loud if they started their competition.

"Team Dragon Guard just got another member!" cheered the distinctive voice of Sting that they could only hear thanks to their enhanced hearing.

"Looks like the rest of the guild already knows." replied Natsu with a little laugh as he smiled at the two of them. "So where and in what color do the two of you want your guild emblems, because it would seem that you already have a team waiting for you." he said once again enjoying the shocked look he was receiving from them.

"Black and on my back." mumbled Akiro as he flew over to him and turned his back towards his new guild Master.

"Purple and on my shoulder." replied Miia as she took off her backpack and slipped her hoodie down far enough for him to give her the emblem.

"There you go, now you're both proud members of Fairy Tail. Do fairies really have tails? Do they even exist… Like them, this place is an eternal mystery… A never ending adventure that you have both decided to become a part of." he stated with a grin while pulling the stamp away and putting it back under the counter. "Oh and just so you know, I wouldn't blame either of you if the two of you decided to not go out there just yet and chose to introduce yourself to all of them at a later time." he said while giving them a concerned look. "We can be a little much for new members, but you'll soon get used to it and come to cherish it like I do." he finished with a small yet fond smile coming over his face.

"What do you think we should do, Akiro?" she asked while turning to look at the purple Exceed.

"Might as well get it over with." he replied with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Before you two do that, would you mind telling me what element you use and any other types magic that you might have? I like to know that kind of stuff so I can figure out the best way I can help you with your training." explained Natsu as they headed towards the back door.

"Element?" she replied back in a confused tone as the stopped in front of the door that led outside.

"What type of dragon slayer are you?" he asked with a grin.

"Oh, then why didn't you just ask that?" she asked back while turning away from him. "I'm a specter dragon slayer." she said while walking through the door as if it wasn't even there. This caused Natsu's eyes to widen ever so slightly at seeing this, only to turn to look at a snickering Akiro.

"You should really see the look on your face." said the Exceed as he opened the door and flew after his partner. Only to come to a screeching halt right next to her as the rest of Fairy Tail were intently staring at the two of them.

 **End of Chapter**

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Thanks for reading and I really hope you enjoyed it, even though this chapter was mainly setting things up for the next one and introducing you all to Miia and Akiro. And yes I know that this makes another OC added to the already long roster, which I might be changing as some of you might have noticed for the lack of certain OC's not appearing for a really long time. Of course none of that is official yet and probably won't be until I go through all of the previous chapters and touch them up, after which I'll decide which of the OC's will remain. But back to the addition of Miia specifically, I have always thought that it was unfair for there to only be one girl out of the seven dragon slayers that are out there, well eight if you count a certain someone that barely even lasted for more than a few chapters. So hopefully I've created a new one with the help of Shinigami-sama777 that you all will enjoy or at least understand why I've decided to add her into the mix. Well I guess that is it for this note of mine, so feel free to let me know your thoughts on this chapter and anything else you might want to say about this story in a review or PM. And I'll get back to you when I can.**

 **Oh and if you would like me to update faster or possibly start a new story I have information about that on my profile page.**

 **Until the next Chapter**

 **Digem Out!**


	33. A Possibly Unpleasant Summons

Ch 33: A Possibly Unpleasant Summons

 **June 5th X788 in the afternoon in Fairy Tail's Courtyard:**

"And now you should see the look on both of your faces." said Natsu as he walked in between the two of them and got in front of them. Coming to a halt just a few feet in front of them, smiling at how this was probably the quietest his guild has been in a really long time. This was a slight shock to him since he could definitely hear Sting earlier from inside of the guild, only to now see said dragon slayer being held back by Cobra with his mouth covered.

"So is it true Master Dragneel?" asked a random member from the gathered crowd that was making Miia and Akiro very nervous.

"I'm going to say yes." he answered as a smile spread across his mug. "Everyone I would like to introduce you all to our two newest guild members, Miia and Akiro. Who just so happen to be another dragon slayer and Exceed duo that I expect all of you to make them feel at home and show them how things work around here." he stated, seeing Cobra roll his eyes at him and let go of the excited light dragon slayer that he was holding back.

And that was like unleashing a flood gate as the two new members of the guild were instantly swarmed by the rest of Fairy Tail. All really excited to have a new dragon slayer as a member and introduce themselves to the two of them. Some of the men were really excited by Miia joining, but a few of them took one quick look at their Master and decided to act like complete gentleman that they usually weren't. And the unlucky few that didn't see the warning that Natsu was giving all of them with his eyes learned that Miia definitely wasn't afraid to deal with perverts herself. This shocked most of the guild until Akiro explained that they already knew that they could do that after watching the guild for a few days, which of course embarrassed Miia once again.

This lasted for a good hour, and probably would've lasted longer if Natsu didn't notice that the two of them were growing tired of all of the introductions and questions they were getting. "Alright everyone, that's enough for now and for those of you who didn't get to introduce yourselves to them. You've literally got the rest of your life to do that, so why don't we go back to this little competition of ours that will determine which team of ours is the strongest?" he said, causing a cheer to ring out as they went back to the competition that was literally just about to start before Miia and Akiro started to talk with Natsu.

"They are definitely a friendly bunch." stated Akiro as he followed Miia, who was still a little nervous with all of these different people around. So she decided to stick with Natsu since she naturally felt more comfortable around him because of the whole slightly reminding her of her dragon Yurei.

"That they are, I'm just still a little surprised with how excited and happy they are to meet us." she replied back, noticing the occasional member waving at their little group.

"Who wouldn't be excited to meet a new family member? But I know that can be a little overwhelming for someone not used to it, so if it ever becomes a little too much for you in the future just let me know." said the older dragon slayer and her new guild Master with a caring smile sent her way.

"I take it that this means you're most likely done with paperwork for the rest of the day?" asked Ultear as she came up to Natsu and gave him a quick kiss, taking Ava away from him right after. "And it looks like you, little Missy, really like Akiro." she said while smiling down at her daughter who was still captivated with the purple Exceed.

"Yes she does, and I'll probably stay out here until one of the boys requires my attention." replied Natsu while pulling out the baby monitor he had and showing it to her.

"You're his wife, and you've got more than one kid already?" asked Miia as she looked between the happy couple with a stunned look on her face.

"Yep, and we've kind of already have five of them." answered Ultear with a bright smile as she and Natsu took a seat together with Miia following suit.

"How are you not certain about the number of children you have?" she asked now sporting an extremely confused expression. But before either of them could answer her, a certain little girl decided to jump onto her father.

"Daddy, I thought you said you were going to do paperwork today?" she asked him in an excited tone as he set her on his lap after catching her.

"And I will Darling, but right now I'm just taking a little break." he replied, getting a nod of understanding out of his daughter.

"Hi Miia, I'm Liza Dragneel and I can't wait to be on your team!" she said with a bright smile as she introduced herself to the new dragon slayer that now had an even more shocked expression on her face. Because right now Miia's mind couldn't reconcile how it was even plausible for parents as young as Natsu and Ultear to have a girl that she assumed was around the age of nine by the looks of her.

Seeing her look of confusion, the parents couldn't help but chuckle at her, which only made her now give them a slight glare. "What the two of them aren't telling you Miia, is that Liza and I are their adoptive daughters. And I'm Meredy Dragneel by the way." explained Meredy as she came up and shook hands with the overwhelmed female dragon slayer.

"You're also their daughter, but you're around my age? Making you probably only seven years younger than the two of them if I had to guess, which would definitely make more sense if you had some sort of sibling relationship with them." she pointed out with Akiro nodding his head in agreement from his place on her shoulder.

"And considering how she and Natsu act with each other that would probably be an apt description of their actual relationship. While I on the other hand have been raising her since she was just a little girl." stated Ultear proudly while giving the two pink haired mages a smug look.

"I'm confident that some of the conversations that we've had are ones that mothers don't usually have with their daughters." replied Meredy in a dull tone as she rolled her eye at the time mage, that now had a slight blush and no longer had that smug look of hers.

"No one ever said that we had a normal family dynamic, and I couldn't be happier about that." chimed in Natsu as he looked out over the rest of the arena that was full of people he also considered his family.

"I'd say so you big weirdo, who in their right mind jumps straight to adopting a kid before even proposing to his girlfriend." she said with a smirk spreading across her lips as Natsu let out a little growl that only made her giggle at him.

"I'm starting to think that offering the same thing to you was a mistake." he replied, only to receive a swift smack to the back of his head from Ultear. Who was now glaring daggers at him for what she just heard him say out loud, even if it was only a joke like she knew it was.

"That's your daughter, and granted she can be extremely annoying sometimes." stated Ultear while looking at him directly in the eyes. "Hey!" shouted out Meredy as she scowled at the two of them. "But that doesn't mean you should ever joke about something like that." finished the time mage with a stony look directed at him.

"Okay." he replied with a sigh. "I'll never joke around with Meredy about that, even though we all know I didn't mean any of it and wouldn't have it any other way." he said now giving his wife a toothy grin. This then resulted in them sharing of a quick kiss that caused Liza to let out a little grunt of disgust, but nothing more since she didn't want to be tickled by the two of them like they usually did when she made her views on their public displays of affection known.

"I can kind of now understand why she said kind of." commented Akiro as he waved down at Ava, who was still looking at him with a happy smile on her pudgy little face.

"Me too." stated Miia as smile spread across her own face. She was now thinking that it was definitely the right decision for her and Akiro to join this odd guild, and maybe if she got lucky she would also know what it felt like to have a family to interact with. Not knowing that it wasn't a maybe for her anymore, and despite how unorthodox it was, she was now part of the Fairy Tail family. And she was also a part of the more exclusive dragon slayer family, which was just now going to try and get her involved in the chaos that is Fairy Tail.

"Miia, we're ready whenever you are." declared Sting with a huge smile as he appeared in front of their group.

"Me?" she asked while pointing at herself, and getting an excited nod from the blond that was probably just a year younger than her. "Ready for what exactly, because you know that I only just joined today, right?" she asked him in an unsure voice since he was the one she heard celebrating earlier about joining his team or something like that.

"For helping us prove that we're the strongest team in Fairy Tail." he answered still smiling at her like it was the happiest day in his life. "Oh and afterwards, you and I are going to have a little duel so we can see where you rank amongst us dragon slayers." he finished still having that smile of his and an excited twinkle in his eyes.

"Sting, why must you challenge every new member to a duel as soon as they join?" asked Natsu in a tired tone.

"Because you won't let me challenge them before that, saying something about the Council complaining about me beating up a few random mages." he replied while waving his hand dismissively at his Alpha.

"I wouldn't say twenty different mages is a few, Sting." said Natsu in a serious tone. "And Miia, you definitely don't need to help this goofball with this little competition of theirs. Or even accept his challenge if you don't want to." he stated once again in his usual cheery tone.

"Thanks Master Dragneel, but I think I could go for both of them since I'm definitely more comfortable in letting my magic do the talking for me." she replied with a confident smirk coming over face. Letting her fangs poke out as a purple aura started to form around her as she got up.

"Good, then that means you don't need me on your team anymore." said Cobra, as he and Kinana joined the group and took a seat next to the other couple.

"Oh come on Cobra, you still want to impress Kinana don't you?" asked Sting in a shocked tone as he looked at the older dragon slayer with a pleading look.

"Even if that was true I don't think doing this little competition of yours would accomplish that." he mumbled back with a slight blush that he was trying to hide, embarrassed that Sting would blatantly yell something like that out loud.

"You're correct about that Eric, but only because you have no need to impress me anymore." she whispered back to him with a bright smile, just loud enough for only the dragon slayers to hear her as she grabbed his hand and intertwined their fingers together.

"Looks like Team Dragon Guard just lost a big player." pointed out Meredy with a smug grin spread across her face.

"Whatever Meredy, doesn't matter since we've now got Miia to cover for him and just you wait. She's going to destroy all of you with her awesome form of dragon slaying magic." declared the blonde as he glared at the eldest Dragneel child.

"Do you even know what type of element she has?" she asked him back, and from just one look at him she could instantly tell that he didn't. This caused both of them to slowly turn and look at the aforementioned person with expectant looks.

"You'll both just have to wait and see." replied Miia as she then jumped into the arena that they were currently sitting in the bleachers of.

"Do you know what her element is, Natsu?" asked Meredy as she and Sting turned to look at him.

"I do, but I definitely think it will be more entertaining for me if everyone else finds out the same way that I did." he answered with a chuckle as he leaned back and got ready to enjoy the show.

"Whatever, let's go and get this settled once and for all Meredy." said the young dragon slayer as he jumped into the arena and headed over to where the rest of his team was at. Currently introducing themselves to one another, and of course all of their Exceeds.

"He's saying that now, but I can guarantee that if his team loses that he'll want a rematch in three months." replied Meredy while shaking her head and heading off to her own team.

"So what element does she use?" asked Ultear as soon as she was confident that Meredy was out of earshot.

"I wouldn't really call it an element, which is actually quite surprising since those dragons were nowhere near as common as your standard element ones like all of our parents were." he replied with a toothy grin spread across his face.

"You do realize that didn't really answer her question." stated Cobra while shaking his head at him.

"Oh he knows, Eric, he is only just doing this to get back at me for all of the times I did something similar to him." replied Ultear while giving Natsu a quick glare that really didn't have any heat behind it, which only caused the person receiving it to let out a deep chuckle.

 **A half hour later:**

"I honestly didn't think that it would turn out like this." stated Natsu as he looked at the results, which showed that Shadow Gear and Meredy's Team were both tied at one point. While on the other hand leaving Team Dragon Guard at zero, with Miia yet to make an appearance in any of the challenges so far.

"Oh is my little dragon disappointed to see his students losing?" teased Ultear in a sing song tone as she continued to lean against him and use him as her head rest.

"You do realize that I've actually trained with all of them down there for almost the same amount of time as each other. So they are all my students, but I am a little upset that Rogue let Sting compete in that last one when he easily would have won it hands down." he commented with a slight frown.

"Come on Salamander, you know how stubborn that hatchling can be when he sets his mind on something." replied Cobra with a little smirk, enjoying how Kinana was in a similar position to Ultear's.

"Yeah, but he can't let him do something like that if they are in a serious situation." he mumbled back.

"He won't Natsu; Rogue is probably one of the guild's most level headed members. And he knows that this little competition is only for fun, if it was anything serious he'd make Sting listen to him." replied Ultear while giving him a smile and a reassuring squeeze with her hand that he was holding.

"You've raised those two into becoming quite respectable young men." stated Bisca in a cheery tone, while adjusting Asuka on her lap.

"Not to mention, that they are both probably at the level of S-Class mages already." chimed in Alzack, who currently had Liza on his lap since he was telling her all about his magic just moments ago.

"Why do I feel like both of you are shocked by that?" he asked them back with a skeptical tone to his voice.

"Because of who you used to be before you got your dream girl involved in every aspect of your life." answered his wife with a little smirk.

"How could I have been so blind and not realized that for myself?" he asked in a very sarcastic tone.

"You two are joking about it, but it's actually the truth and what happened. Just think about it, the two of you have both changed so much since being together. And I'm not talking about when the two of you finally made it official, I'm talking about when Natsu brought you and Meredy back to the guild and was willing to go against the Council to keep you here." said Bisca with a nostalgic smile gracing her face.

"Mommy." said Asuka, causing all of them to stop and place all of their attention on the little girl.

"What is it Darling?" she asked her daughter with a motherly smile sent her way.

"Daddy." replied the little girl while pointing at her father with a little pout being on display, looking at the other girl that was getting her father's attention.

"Come here Liza." said Natsu with a little grin, knowing that Liza wouldn't mind coming and sitting on his lap like she usually does.

"Okay, Daddy." responded Liza as she hopped off of Alzack's lap and scurried over to his with a bright smile.

"But back to what my beautiful wife was saying before, you two are constantly encouraging each other and getting the other to improve without even asking them to. And you are both probably going to deny all of this, but everyone else can see that you two would both do anything to make each other happy." stated Alzack now bouncing a happy Asuka on his knee.

"Why in the world would I deny that?" asked Natsu with a perplexed expression now on his face.

"Maybe because it took you almost two whole years to realize your feelings for me." answered Ultear while giving him a sly grin.

"Sorry that not all of us can figure out something as monumental as that after just being around someone for a few hours." he replied while rolling his eyes at her, only to then start chuckling after she elbowed him in the ribs.

"You two sometimes make me want to hurl." stated Cobra, which definitely wasn't a smart move by him.

"Is that so, Eric?" she asked him back in a sweet tone, that most of them knew better than to believe. "I wonder how everyone else would react to some of the things you say and do with our sweet and adorable Kinana." she said, causing the two people that she just mentioned to have their faces go a few shades redder.

"Easy now Ultear, we've all got things that we would prefer to keep to ourselves." said Natsu with a smirk as he put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "So how about we forget about where this little chat of ours that was starting to head towards and do something to spice up this competition?" he suggested with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

"Fine, but I won't allow Eric to make fun of us when he and Kinana are doing pretty much the same things as we are." she replied with a smug grin as Bisca and Alzack looked at the other couple with completely stunned expressions.

"Ultear." hissed Kinana as she glared at the time mage. "It's not what you two are most likely thinking, Eric and I are still figuring things out." she started to say while getting progressively quieter as she went.

"We of all people have no room to judge, considering that it took us years to figure out that we both liked each other. And what did you have in mind Master Dragneel?" asked Bisca with a bright smile, glad to hear that the two were probably only a few months away from making their relationship official.

"Glad you asked Bisca, I think it's time for a three way battle!" he announced while getting up and saying the last part loud enough for the whole arena to hear him. "Each team needs to pick one member that will participate, and as always let's keep this a friendly fight and not throw any killing blows." he declared as the rest of Fairy Tail got excited by this little announcement of his.

 **In the arena a few moments later:**

"So you're finally going to take part in one of the events." stated Meredy as she looked over at Miia as the woman slowly walked towards her and Laki. Who was the one competing on behalf of Team Shadow Gear, and looked pretty excited for this upcoming battle of theirs.

"What can I say, I prefer a good old fashion fight more than those other two challenges before." replied the dragon slayer as she cracked her neck, which gave off a really loud pop.

"I've been wondering if a love for fighting is something that all dragon slayers have in common." said Laki with smirk. "But our little Wendy really didn't care for it, although that could possibly be because she's still young." she said while cracking her knuckles.

"Your assessment is probably accurate since I didn't really start enjoying it until about two years ago." she replied while grinning so that they could all see her fangs. "And since then I've found out that not only do I enjoy it, but I'm pretty darn good at it. So how about we cut this little meeting of ours and get to the fun stuff?" she asked, and their response to her was both of them getting into defensive stances.

"Remember girls, this is only just a friendly match between the three of you." stated Natsu from the stands, clearly a little worried that this could escalate to something more serious.

"We know already." snapped back Meredy as she gave him a quick glare.

"But I hope you both realize that doesn't mean I'll be pulling any of my hits." stated Laki as she looked at the two of her opponents.

"I wouldn't have it any other way." replied Miia with a smirk, before to everyone's surprise she sunk into the ground, not leaving a single trace behind.

"Is she an earth dragon slayer?" asked Meredy as she turned to look at Laki, whose eyes were wide open like she just saw a ghost. And she was about to ask her friend what the hell was up with her weird expression, but the answer to that question came to her when someone unexpectedly whispered something in her ear from behind.

"Nope, but good guess Meredy." whispered Miia before delivering a devastating blow to the other girl's back. Sending her flying at Laki, who constructed a wooden wall to block the incoming girl and hopefully take out one of her competitors in the process. But she knew that was too much to hope for from the adoptive daughter of her Master, because the next second she heard the pained grunts of Meredy as she got back up.

"What the hell Laki?" she asked while giving the wood mage a quick sneer.

"Sorry Meredy, but this is a fight." replied Laki as she brought down her wall, only to then let out a shocked gasp at only seeing Meredy.

But before she could even react to this, she felt what she only could assume was a foot coming into contact with her back and sending her sailing into the other side of the arena. "That it is, and you should both keep that in mind otherwise this won't even be very fun for me." stated Miia with a smug smirk spreading across her lips. Clearly very confident in her own abilities and more than likely underestimating her two opponents, something that no one should ever do when going up against Fairy Tail mages.

 **"WOOD MAKE: MEADOW!"** shouted Laki as trees sprung forth from the earth and shot at Miia. But unlike the last time Fairy Tail saw her use this move, the trees weren't black and it overall seemed not as strong as the one she used on Natsu. Laki most likely didn't want to waste her magic or possibly hurt Miia too severely since she definitely wasn't at Natsu's level. Even if it wasn't as strong as her other one, everyone watched in awe as most of the area quickly became a small forest set on destroying the wood mage's opponents.

"Quite the impressive move you have there, Laki." replied the new dragon slayer as she phased through the trees with a confident grin.

 **"MAGUILTY SODOM!"** declared Meredy from on top of one of the trees a few feet behind Miia. Who didn't pay any attention to what the pink haired girl was doing since she was currently in her Phantom form. But little did she know that Meredy's attack didn't target her physical form and went after her pain receptors.

"Miia!" shouted out Akiro in concern as his partner screamed out in pain and fell to her knees. He was about to rush in and help her out like he would have usually done if they found themselves in a situation like this. But before he could even take off and help her, Sting put a reassuring hand on the purple Exceed's shoulder.

"It's only a friendly match, and it's definitely going to take more than that to actually bring her down." stated Sting with a confident smirk as he and the rest of their team continued to watch the fight unfold.

"I bet you weren't expecting that, now were you?" asked Meredy with a smirk as Miia slowly got back up, not noticing the aura or slightly pissed off expression that the other woman had at the moment. "If you were going up against almost anyone else in the guild you'd probably be able to stay in that form as long as you want. But unfortunately for you I'm one of the few here that can attack someone no matter what state they might be in." she explained in a proud tone, still not realizing that this fight was far from over.

 **"WOOD MAKE: STARRY NIGHT!"** shouted Laki, having actually noticed how upset Miia currently was and hoped to end it before she recomposed herself.

"Shit!" squeaked out Meredy, before jumping up at the falling wooden statue of a fairy to most of the guild's surprise. While flying up at it, she pulled out the two knives that Natsu had given her a while ago and used one to stab into the edge of the statue and flip herself on top of it. And from there she continued her ascent up the giant wooden statue with such grace and agility that most believed the only one else that could accomplish something like that would be the other dragon slayers.

The crowd watched as the large statue came crashing down and destroyed everything underneath it, which just so happened to be Laki's last attack and possibly Miia. They all waited with bated breath as the dust slowly settled from the last attack, wondering if the other two girls were okay. Most believed that Meredy would be fine since she got out from underneath the attack, but that didn't mean she was completely fine.

"What the hell Laki?" shouted out Meredy in an upset tone as she glared at her friend.

"I wanted to end this match before we all got too carried away with it." she replied, knowing that unfortunately her wish wasn't going to happen. Especially with the large amount of magic that she could detect from the middle of her statue, which she had to assume was Miia.

"And you thought that killing us would be the best way to do that?" asked Meredy, clearly still angry that she almost got flattened.

"No, she was only hoping to knock the two of us out." replied Miia as she came out of the middle of the statue, floating in midair to the shock of everyone watching. And that wasn't the only thing that shocked the members of Fairy Tail, no what shocked them the most was the purple aura that completely surrounded the young woman. That was heavily concentrated on her feet and hands, and also appeared to look as if spirits were wailing out in agony. It overall gave the girl dressed in dark clothes a very intimidating look, that most of the guild would agree that Natsu was probably the only other member that could top it.

"Shit." mumbled out Meredy as she watched Miia slowly float up until they were at the same height.

"Shit is right, Meredy." she responded with a crazed grin slowly spreading across her lips as the two finally locked eyes. "I was planning on not using my magic other than to dodge some attacks, but it would seem that I was a little too confident." she said with her grin only getting bigger.

 **"MAGUILTY RAYS!"** shouted Meredy from her perch on the statue as yellow blades were sent flying at Miia. Who all of a sudden dropped a few feet to dodge the attack, not going to risk receiving another painful attack from the pink haired Sensory Mage. Only for her to then shoot back up, but this time even higher than she was before, letting her look down on both of her opponents.

Meredy and everyone else watched as Miia started to suck in air, which is one of the major tells for dragon slayers when they are about to unleash a roar. And since none of them except for Natsu knew what her element was, they all waited anxiously for it to be revealed for them.

 **"SPECTER DRAGON'S WAIL!"** bellowed Miia before what looked like purple spirits spewed from her mouth and headed towards the stunned sensory mage. Luckily for Meredy, she snapped out of her daze and jumped out of the way only to let out a small shriek when the attack slightly readjusted and barely missed her. Needless to say, this caused everyone watching eyes to shoot wide open in disbelief since that was something that even Natsu couldn't do, or has yet to show them.

 **"WOOD MAKE: UNENDING BENEVOLENCE!"** yelled Laki as the attack came barreling towards her after changing directions once again. From the ground right in front of her, out came the large head of a wooden dragon with its mouth open in a roar. But that wasn't all, it continued to emerge from the ground with the rest of its ginormous body following suit as the two attacks collided. Once again causing dust and other debris to fly out in all directions and they only stop before hitting the crowd thanks to the protective runes surrounding the whole arena.

"Holy crap." commented a random member as the rest remained silent, waiting to see the results of that little encounter. The three teams competing were by far the most nervous of all the Fairy Tail members, not because of the little competition they were in. But because of how seriously injured the contestants might be after being on the receiving end of either one of those moves.

"And the winner is Miia!" declared Natsu with a little smirk before the dust had even settled enough for the rest to see. "I would really love to see how the rest of the fight would play out between the three of you, but then we would most likely have to replace the whole arena. And if the three of you remember correctly, this was just supposed to be a friendly match between guild members." he continued to say as the dust settled. This finally let everyone else see that all three girls were still standing, and looking like they were just about to unleash some more devastating spells at each other. But this time Meredy was also going to be taking part in it, which would only make it more hectic and probably the reason why Natsu decided to call the match.

"Hell yea, now it's all tied up." cheered Sting, which somehow caused everyone to remember that this was all just for fun. And just like that the crowd started to chat and enjoy themselves as they all sat back and waited for the next event to start so they could enjoy the show that was sure to take place. The three contestants of the last match decided to meet in the middle and make sure that they were all okay and none of them had any hard feelings about what just transpired.

"Sorry about that, I kind of get single minded when I'm in a fight and I completely forgot about it just being a friendly match." stated Miia with an embarrassed smile as she rubbed the back of her head.

"No problem, you definitely aren't the first dragon slayer to have that sort of problem." replied Laki with a huge grin as she glanced over at Natsu who was currently chuckling, possibly about their conversation or something completely different for all she knew. Hearing this caused Miia to have a shocked expression come over her face, and she was about to ask who they were talking about but their other opponent decided to tell her.

"Natsu used to get into fights whenever he could, but that was before I joined the guild and when he didn't have nearly as many responsibilities as he does now." said Meredy with a bright smile, while also quickly glancing over at the man she was talking about.

"Does he still do that in his fights?" she asked them back, because from the fights that she has seen from his so far. She would have to say that he definitely is extremely focused during them, but not to the extent that he forgets his surroundings or why he's even fighting.

"I honestly couldn't say one way or the other, but that might be because he is mainly training everyone at the guild whenever he's fighting here. And the only other time that he is really fighting is when he's dealing with drakes and I think being extremely focused during that is probably beneficial for him." answered Laki with a shrug of her shoulders.

"He probably doesn't do it anymore since no one really is even a challenge for him anymore. And as for the drakes, whatever he is doing with them seems to be working since he still hasn't lost to any of them yet." stated Meredy as the three of them started to head to where their teams were waiting for them.

"Let's hope that he continues to do that, otherwise I can only imagine how messed up the rest of the country would be without him dealing with them." said Laki with a serious expression coming over her face.

"What about all of the other dragon slayers?" asked Miia, she instantly could tell that Natsu was the strongest out of all of them. But considering that there was now four other dragon slayers in the guild, they could definitely handle the drakes without him.

"You guys would definitely be able to hold them off for a while, but they've only dealt with a small fraction of the drakes when compared to the amount that he has." she replied while looking at Sting and Rogue, knowing that there had to be a reason why Natsu was trying to keep them and even Cobra from killing drakes.

"Well it's a good thing that he's not going anywhere anytime soon, especially since he's been getting the feeling that something big is going to go down soon." stated Meredy before the three of them separated to go to their respective teams, all of them wondering what Natsu might be expecting to happen sometime soon.

 **With Natsu and Ultear:**

"I'm amazed that you actually stopped the fight." stated Ultear while giving him a little smirk.

"Really?" he asked her back with an eyebrow raised at her.

"Seriously, I thought that you wouldn't mind paying for a whole new arena if it let you see how strong the three of them actually are. Which was definitely going to happen since they all were starting to forget that this was just a friendly little competition." she replied while smiling down at Ava who was starting to get drowsy after being awake for so long.

"And that right there is the reason I didn't let it go any further, they were all about to start doing moves that if not handled correctly would have resulted in one of them getting seriously hurt." he said with a small smile, glad that he had such strong members in his guild that he knew he could rely on if need be.

"To think that just a few years ago you would have more than likely been complaining about Master Makarov ending a fight for the same reasons." she pointed out with a little giggle, remembering how brash he was the first time they ever met. That actually resulted with her receiving a good hit from him and going back and restoring the village, probably the first good thing she actually did in a really long time. And at the time she didn't really know why she even did it, but now she knew it was her subconscious making sure that Natsu knew there was still some good left in her.

"Things have definitely changed a lot for all of us over these last few years, and there is only one little thing out of all of it that I would change if I could." responded Natsu with a faint smile as he looked out over the lake, thinking about the Tenrou Group.

"I wouldn't really call that a little thing, but considering that you know they are still fine and everything else that has happened while they were gone I can concede on calling it a little thing." she said while giving him a loving smile as she turned his head so that they were eye to eye once again. Causing them to once again share a loving kiss that let the other know how much they mean to them.

"It's a shame." he said after they sat in silence for a few more moments.

"What's a shame?" asked Ultear while giving him a concerned look, wondering if he was starting to doubt himself about the Tenrou Group being fine like he claimed.

"That it can't always be like this." he answered while giving a small gesture to everyone having a good time outside with each other and enjoying the competition that was about to start up again.

"If it was always like this, I'm fairly certain that you would be the first one to start complaining about nothing exciting ever happening." she said while shaking her head at him and letting out a little chuckle. "Also, without all of those days that aren't like this, you would never be able to appreciate how lucky we all are to have days like today. And you might not believe this, but even right now Fairy Tail still has days like today more than most other guilds out there." she finished with a proud grin directed his way.

"You're probably right about all of that." he replied as a grin started to spread across his lips. "And it's my responsibility to try and make sure that we keep having days like this in the future." he stated while getting up and setting Liza back down on his old spot.

"Are you going back to your paperwork, Daddy?" asked Liza as she looked up at him.

"That I am Liza, someone needs to put in a little work so we can all continue to have fun like we are right now." he answered while doing a little stretch and then reaching for Ava.

"She'll be fine with me for now, and I'm pretty sure that the boys will soon be needing your attention." stated Ultear while giving him an evil little grin, one that he knew meant that he would most likely have to deal with dirty diapers if she was correct.

"Next time they need a changing it's your turn, my oh so compassionate wife." he said in a clearly sarcastic tone as he headed back into the guild, not caring that she was currently laughing at his misfortune.

"What did he mean by that Mommy?" asked Liza as she turned to Ultear with a questioning look on her face.

"Nothing Honey and we might have to go in and check on him in a few hours. Just to make sure that he isn't working himself too hard." she answered with a bright smile.

"I can do that!" cheered Liza, proud to help her parents out whenever she could.

"And that's why I was going to ask only you to help me out with it, but until then let's see how your older sister and everyone else are doing." she stated as the two went back to watching the next match of the competition for the title of strongest team in Fairy Tail.

 **June 30** **th** **X788 inside the Fairy Tail Guildhall:**

It was just an ordinary day for Fairy Tail, a few members were scattered throughout the guildhall enjoying some well-deserved rest. Because the guild that once used to be known for its out of control parties and having certain members that would cause mass destruction on even the simplest of jobs, was no longer known like that by the rest of the country. Well at least for the partying that is, since more than a few of Fairy Tail's members decided to follow in Natsu's old footsteps and never let something like possibly destroying things prevent them from accomplishing their job. The guild however was now widely known as the strongest guild in the country, that took training to a whole new level since they would pretty much do it whenever they weren't on a job, and in some people's opinions it was more of an army than a guild if you neglected the fact that they still completed more jobs than any other guild in all of Fiore.

Those people however would be completely wrong about that since they didn't get to see how the guild interacted with each other during their downtime. It was how Fairy Tail always acted with each other for years now, just in a slightly calmer and less destructive way, which most of them attributed to the disappearance of the Tenrou Group. But more specifically it was more than likely do to a certain dragon slayer maturing into someone that they all deeply respected, and now called their Master to his great annoyance at first but he came to accept it after a while. The guild would still have its occasional brawls and parties, but they would never spilled into Magnolia like they used to do so often just a short four years ago, which was a blessing for some while others missed seeing the lively guild getting into trouble.

But it would appear that Fairy Tail somehow still managed to cause trouble even after toning it down during these past few years, well if you disregarded Natsu dealing with all of the drakes that is and their little dark guild hunting. At least that is what a few citizens of Magnolia were thinking as they watched Rune Knights file out of three different trains that pulled into the station at the same time. All of them completely filled with the Council's personal army that is supposed to protect the citizens of Fiore from all magical threats that the Royal army isn't equipped to deal with. The citizens watched as the Rune Knights formed into two groups and remained at attention as two men came to the front of them, both of which have been seen going to Fairy Tail quite often during the past four years, one more so than the other.

"I really don't have a good feeling about this." stated Doranbolt with a concerned look on his visage as he looked over at his longtime friend.

"That makes two of us, but we have our orders and I'm going to carry them out to the best of my abilities." replied Lahar after letting out a long sigh and pushing his glasses back up his nose.

"Yeah, but I could have just teleported here and brought him back to the Council in just a few seconds." he pointed out as he and Lahar started to make their way out of the station with the rest of the Rune Knights following them.

"But that wouldn't have made a statement like this will, which the Council is only doing since he hasn't replied back at any of the messages they've sent him so far. Or even the representatives that came here to speak with him over the last two weeks, that he always claimed he was too busy to speak with." replied Lahar as the citizens made way for him and his men to leave the station.

"And all that will do is make him push back even harder." he said while shaking his head at how stubborn the Master of Fairy Tail can be. And it made him wonder if it was one of the requirements of becoming the Master of their guild since Makarov wouldn't back down to the Council either if he thought they were in the wrong.

"I know, but they think this is the best way to accomplish their goals and protect the country." stated Lahar as they emerged from the station. Only to stop and look over Magnolia, which seemed to constantly be growing in size with each passing day and was on its way to becoming one of the Country's largest and most prosperous cities. Something that kind of made sense since the number one guild was located in it, which also just so happened to have five dragon slayers in it making it one of the safest place to live.

"Well they're wrong, which is something that I've been telling them this whole time." remarked Doranbolt with a frown as he also looked over the city.

"And that right there, Doranbolt, is why they didn't want you to come with me. It's also the reason that you're no longer informed as well as you used to be." he explained while doing a quick motion to let his men know that they were going to be heading into the city. But just as they were about to start walking a loud siren went off, causing most of the Rune Knight to tense up in fear of a drake invasion.

Instead of that, a quick announcement rang out for the entire town to hear. "Citizens of Magnolia, we are about to undergo the Dragon Shift so please get to an appropriate location." came the voice of the Mayor. "A quick heads up though, this is not for the return of any member of Fairy Tail. This is so that the Council's Rune Knights can get to Fairy Tail without causing any of you any trouble." came the voice of Ultear over the speakers, and gave off the vibe that she wasn't pleased with them being in Magnolia.

"And this right here is why they should listen to me for once, but it seems like that is something they'll never learn." replied Doranbolt with a little smirk before teleporting away. Leaving behind Lahar and the rest of the Rune Knights to watch as the city shifted so that they had a direct path leading straight to the Fairy Tail guildhall.

"Alright men, let's move out." he shouted while taking the first step into the newly formed street heading toward the enormous guildhall at the end of it. The Rune Knights hesitantly followed after him, and they only became more nervous after they got halfway through it thanks to the citizens now watching them in complete silence. All of them not looking the least bit pleased with their presence at all.

"Commander Lahar?" asked one of the higher ranked Rune Knights as he came up to the man.

"What is it?" Lahar asked back, apparently not phased in the slightest by the citizens watching them like they were.

"I was wondering if this was normal?" he asked while gesturing up at the crowd looking down at them.

"Far from it Solider, usually it's like the whole city bursts into a city wide celebration whenever the Dragon Shift happens." answered Lahar with a slight smile coming across his lips as he remembered the first time he witnessed it thanks to Doranbolt claiming that he had to see it for himself.

"Then why is it not happening now?" he asked with a confused expression coming over his face.

"Why in the world would they celebrate when the Council appears to be attacking their guild? That has not only saved this city a few times, but also a few others from the invading drakes when the Council hasn't done anything to protect them." Lahar explained as his expression went back to its usual blank look, one that he always wore while on duty.

"I guess that kind of makes sense." he mumbled back.

"That it does, and just so you know. This is what most likely the rest of Fiore would be feeling if they could see us right now, so let's make sure that we don't screw this up any more than it already is. The last thing the Council wants is a story getting out about them attacking the Country's favorite guild." stated Lahar causing his men to have confused expressions wash over all of their faces.

"Commander Lahar, aren't we supposed to use any force necessary in order to bring Master Dragneel back with us?" asked a different Rune Knight.

"Those were the orders that we received, but they were made by people that haven't had to actually go up to him and try to get him to do something that he doesn't want to do. And that's not even including the rest of his guild, who are almost just as protective as he is." replied Lahar with a little chuckle that none of his men have ever heard from him before.

"Commander Lahar, you're making it sound as if we're walking into a den of lions." stated the Rune Knight that initially started to ask him questions.

"Then I've done a terrible job, because we are actually walking into a dragon's den. So if we all want to make it out of there with our dignity intact, then I suggest you all remain completely quiet. And no matter what happens, please for the love of god don't raise your weapons at any of them. Actually it would be better if you don't do anything that could be interpreted as hostile." explained Lahar, causing his men to now become extremely nervous about what they were about to walk into in a few minutes.

For the rest of their walk towards the Fairy Tail guildhall, the Rune Knights quietly conversed with each other about how they thought all this was going to go down. Most were picturing it ending in a fight, where none of them were left standing with Natsu and the other dragon slayers glaring down at them. Giving them one final warning, which was that if any of them saw them again they would be killed on sight. Of course this only came about because they all knew about the tensions between Natsu and the Council over the last four years. But unfortunately none of them knew why it was like that, so thoughts like that one didn't seem too far off for them.

"We're here." stated their commander as they came to a stop at the front doors of the guildhall that was easily the biggest building in the whole city. Not only that but it looked almost as if it was a fortress that could hold off any sort of attack thrown at it. But right now they were all looking at the huge doors on the front of it that went about two and a half stories high.

"Why are their front doors so big?" asked a random Rune Knight out loud from the middle of their group.

"I asked Master Dragneel that exact same question the last time I was here." replied Lahar as he walked forward and grabbed the knocker of the smaller door that none of them noticed thanks to it being inside of the bigger one.

"And what was his answer?" asked a different Rune Knight. Since it was a question that the rest of them wanted to hear, but what they really wanted to know was how close Commander Lahar was to Fairy Tail and their guild Master. Because for as long as any of them have known him, he seemed like the not very sociable type and preferred to do everything by the books. Something that he apparently wasn't planning on doing today with their retrieval mission of Natsu Dragneel.

"That he would rather have them and not need them, then possibly need them and not have them." answered Lahar as he stepped away from the door. Only for him to quirk an eyebrow when rather than the smaller door opening like he expected, the two larger ones started to open outwards causing him and his men to take a few steps back.

And once they finally opened for them to look in, all of their mouths beside Lahar's dropped wide open. Because what they were greeted with was the complete opposite from what Lahar was making it sound like to them. Most of the members smiled or waved at them before going back to whatever it was that they were doing before the Rune Knights arrived. But the most shocking thing for the two platoons of Rune Knights was the sight of the famous Salamander, just casually sitting at the bar with Doranbolt laughing as if the two of them were the best of friends.

There the current Master of Fairy Tail sat in what must have been his casual clothes since it lacked all of his armor and weapons that he was usually seen wearing. He still seemed to be wearing the same pants and boots from his usual attire, and of course his trade mark scarf was still present. Currently it was actually being used for its intended purpose, wrapped around his neck in a slightly messy manner. The rest of his current outfit consisted of a simple white vest that made his overall appearance slightly resemble his old look. Except for the small fact that it let everyone see all of the scars he obtained most likely in some of his encounters with the drakes over the last few years.

"I know what you're all thinking, but trust me when I say that they will turn on us at the very first signs of trouble for them." whispered Lahar before striding into the guild and heading to a smirking Natsu.

"So what do I owe the pleasure of this unannounced meeting, that apparently the Council deemed worthy of sending two platoons of Rune Knights to accomplish?" asked Natsu still giving Lahar a mischievous smirk.

"Didn't Doranbolt already tell you?" he asked back with a surprised look coming over his face as he looked at his partner.

"Sorry Lahar that would be very unprofessional of me. And it could possibly be seen as me trying to get on Fairy Tail's good side, something that the Council apparently doesn't know how to do." replied the teleportation mage with a sly grin that caused the other Council Official to roll his eyes at him. This of course resulted with Natsu openly laughing at the two of them as he motioned for Lahar to take a seat at the bar with the two of them.

"Well Master Dragneel, if you had bothered to read any of the letters the Council sent you over the past month or met with any of their representatives. Then you would know that they are demanding your presence at a meeting that is taking place tomorrow." said Lahar in his official voice while he remained standing in front of the two of them.

"Oh that, yeah I actually read that first letter of theirs, and since it seemed pretty important I was actually going to be heading there later tonight since it only takes a few hours to get there by train." replied Natsu with one of his toothy grins.

"Then why in the world didn't you tell us that?" he asked with a shocked yet also upset expression coming over his face.

"Didn't feel like it." answered Natsu with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Also I knew that it would annoy those grumpy old coots, but I honestly didn't think that they would send two whole platoons to come and get me." he finished while gesturing over at the Rune Knights that all looked extremely confused at what they currently should be doing.

"What did you think they were going to do?" he asked with an exasperated sigh at the end. "Now Doranbolt and I have been ordered to bring you back to them by any means necessary." he continued to say while shaking his head.

"Is that a threat Lahar?" asked Ultear as she came down the stairs with Milo in her arms. Something that most would have thought would make her lose her intimidating aura, if anything all it did was make her somehow even more terrifying when on the receiving end of her glares like Lahar was.

"Because if it is Lahar, well let's just say that Fairy Tail doesn't really handle those kind of things too well." chimed in Macao from the second level while leaning against the railing and slightly glaring down at the small army the Council sent. It was also at this time that they all noticed how quiet the guild had recently become, which was soon explained when seeing that everyone inside of it were glaring at them.

"And as I'm sure you already know, we don't give two shits if you represent the Council or the King of Fiore for that matter." stated Jet, who suddenly appeared behind Lahar and now had a strong grip on his left shoulder. The two platoons of Rune Knights would have done something about this if four figures hadn't appeared in their path to him. Three of them were quite well known and definitely not someone they would ever want to go up against under pretty much any circumstance.

One of them appeared in a blinding flash of light that once it faded away revealed Sting sneering at them. Two of them came out of the floor with similar expressions to what Sting currently had; Rogue emerged from one of the Rune Knight's shadows. While Miia on the other hand just floated through the floor and floated in front of them for a few moments before gracefully landing on the ground. Cobra decided to just walk up to them with a smirk on his face since he knew that all of them definitely knew who he was and what he was capable of.

"That's enough everyone." declared Natsu in a loud and commanding voice, now having a stern expression. "I'm confident that our friend Lahar is only just telling us what he was ordered to do. Of course he is the type of Commander that is always look out for the wellbeing of his men, so he knows that if he doesn't want to see all of them in the hospital. That he'll have to go about this in a different way than what the Council probably wants, isn't that right?" he stated while giving the other Rune Knights a grin that made all of them feel even more uneasy about their current predicament.

"You'd be correct about that Master Dragneel." replied Lahar as he once again pushed his glasses back up his nose. He knew that his men were probably scared shitless right now, and they had every right to be since they were currently facing off against three dragon slayers and an apparently new member of the guild. And that didn't even include the rest of Fairy Tail, who he knew were probably just as terrifying to go up against.

"Good, and considering that I was going to come anyways I don't see any reason for our current relationship with the Council to become more strained than it already is." he said now having that toothy grin of his again. This caused the four dragon slayers to all have smirks as they turned away from the Rune Knights and headed back to wherever they initially came from. This resulted in all of the Rune Knights letting out a collective sigh of relief at the metaphorical bullet that they all just dodged.

"I'm glad to hear that Master Dragneel, but unfortunately they want you on a train as soon as possible." stated Lahar as he looked at him with a dead serious expression set on his face.

"If this is just them trying to get me to become a Wizard Saint again… Let's just say that it will end badly for them." he replied back with a look sent his way.

"It's not, but if you were a Wizard Saint you'd already know what this is all about." said Lahar as he finally took a seat, which shocked the rest of his men besides Doranbolt.

"He does have a point Natsu, and the Council just recently decided to make an exception for you and are willing to make those few small changes you suggested to what your new responsibilities would be if you agreed to join them." pointed out Doranbolt with a smug grin.

"Or I could continue with how things currently are and I wouldn't have to go to any more meetings where nothing seems to get accomplished." he replied, obviously referencing the monthly Master meetings that he was required to go to. "Also I wouldn't be at their beck and call, something that I'm sure you two can understand why I would be opposed to that." he finished with a little hint of venom in his voice.

"I think you might have a few things mixed up there." stated Lahar while giving the dragon slayer a weird look.

"You do realize that the Wizard Saints are their own branch of the Council and are only required to carry out the Council's wishes in a state of emergency." clarified Doranbolt still having a slight grin on his lips.

"That's what you're saying right now, but I've got a feeling that as soon as I join it'll change." he said while taking Milo from Ultear, who was on the stool right next to him, and he started to play with his son.

"Then you could just quit." chimed in Meredy as she hopped onto the bar counter right next to him, which has become her unofficial spot recently.

"She's not wrong about that." said Lahar after taking a drink from the beer Kinana brought to him just seconds ago.

"I can understand why the two of you are trying to get me to join." he said while nodding in the direction of the two men currently representing the Council. "But why in the world are you, Meredy? Actually, now that I'm thinking about it you and a few others have been dropping a few hints about joining the Wizard Saints over the past two weeks." he stated while looking at her skeptically.

"I was just thinking about the advantages to having a Wizard Saint in the guild again." she answered while looking away from him so he couldn't figure out that she wasn't telling him the real reason.

"Meredy." said Natsu in deep tone that Lahar and Doranbolt could only assume was his lecturing tone. Something that they also could only assume he didn't use that often given his overall personality that still remained a kid at heart.

"Fine." she replied while letting out an over dramatic sigh. "We thought it would be nice if you joined the Wizard Saints so that you could possibly have a new rival. I don't really know how they figure out what number you'd be placed at, but on the off chance that it's through fighting the other Wizard Saints. That should at least let you have an enjoyable fight that doesn't have the chance of you possibly dying." she explained while looking at him directly in the eyes.

"Who's the we in this little scheme of yours?" he asked in the same tone while not breaking eye contact with her.

"The main ones are me, Kagura and Kei, there are a few others with most of them being women. Because for some reason most of the men in the guild didn't want to admit that none of them could be your rival." she answered with a little smile gracing her lips at the end.

"It's not that bad of an idea, Natsu. The guild would definitely benefit in a few ways if you became a Wizard Saint. And like Meredy said earlier, if you really don't like it you could always step down and the Council would most likely back off since you at least gave it a try." stated Ultear from her resting spot, which was leaning up against him with her head on his shoulder.

"I take it that you were part of this as well?" he asked her with a little smirk, not needing to hear her answer since he knew she was just from the smile she was giving him. "Never really thought about joining them just to have a good fight, and man could I really go for one of those." he continued to say, causing a few of the people listening to roll their eyes at him. Since it seemed like he was just thinking about having an epic fight with one of the Wizard Saints, and not caring about how it could actually help the guild out. Something that he probably already knew about but still turned down the position for some unknown reason.

"So is that a yes, because if so the Council will be thrilled?" asked Lahar with an excited expression coming over his face. He couldn't help but think at how shocked the Council would be if he returned with Natsu ready to finally join the Wizard Saints.

"Nope, it's still going to be a no. But I'll admit that it just became a little more enticing for me if I get to fight against some of them." answered Natsu while shaking his head back and forth.

"I can't believe that I'm the one actually saying this, but aren't we supposed to be heading out as soon as possible." stated Doranbolt as he got up from his stool.

"That we are, when will you be able to leave Master Dragneel?" asked Lahar while he also got up and went back to business mode.

"When will I be able to leave?" he asked while looking at his wife with a sly grin.

"He'll be able to leave in a few hours." she stated, Lahar was about to protest but one look at her and he could tell that this was definitely not a battle he would want to start with her.

"Then my men and I will be waiting for you at the train station." replied Lahar as he started to walk towards the door, where his men have been nervously waiting at this whole time.

"There's no need for that Lahar, you and your men are welcomed to stay here. Which also means that they're free to come in and relax, oh and everything will be on the house." stated Natsu with a smirk as the Rune Knights looked at him as if he was crazy.

"That definitely sounds better than waiting for you at the station." he said while turning back around and taking a seat on the stool he was using before. If the Rune Knights were shocked about Natsu inviting them to have fun in his guild, then hearing Lahar actually accept his offer made some of them believe that this was some sort of weird dream.

"It seems like our men are a little stunned by this turn of events." chuckled Doranbolt while gesturing at the men.

"Well that should be easy enough to fix." he replied while spinning around on the stool. "Men, my only order for the next few hours is to come in and relax." he declared, enjoying the look of disbelief that he got from them before turning back around and starting up a conversation with Kinana.

 **End of Chapter**

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. The next chapter is going to go over Natsu's meeting with the Council and a few other people he'll run into while there. After that I'll have a big time skip that will take us into the next year where things will once again start to heat up, hopefully you'll enjoy what I've got planned. So as always feel free to drop me a review or PM and I'll get back to you when I can.**

 **Oh and feel free to check out my profile page for other information.**

 **Until the next Chapter**

 **Digem Out!**


	34. Troubling Horizons

Ch 34: Troubling Horizons

 **July 1st, early morning on a train headed to the Headquarters of the Council:**

A train that just yesterday had two platoons of pristine Rune Knights was now subject to the same Rune Knights, but in a condition that most of the country would be shocked to see. And that condition for most of them was drunk, something that Lahar had tried to prevent but didn't really have a say when Natsu insisted that his men drink with him. Of course a few of the Rune Knights refused for various reasons, but the rest of them that started out just having a single beer ended up having a few more. By the end it eventually ended with most of them partying with the other members of Fairy Tail well into the night and overall having the times of their lives.

So instead of the train being filled with Rune Knights sitting up and being ready at a moment's notice, most of them were passed out and strewn about the place. Now most of them were just trying to find a comfortable place to crash for their trip back to the main office of the Council. Except for two different cars that held the only knights still sober enough to follow their standard procedures. And in one of the two cars was the person they were all sent to escort back with them, Natsu Dragneel. Sitting in between two Rune Knights, completely fine thanks to his magic burning away most of the alcohol before it even had a chance to enter his system.

At the moment he was putting on his gear while whistling a cheery tune, causing most of the Rune Knights to wonder if this was the same man they all watched take on all of those drakes single handedly. Not only was he acting completely out of character to what most of them expected, he also was at least a few years younger than the vast majority of them as well. Making all of the stories going around about him that much harder for them to believe, causing one of them to finally speak up for the first time since boarding the train.

"Master Dragneel, can I ask you something?" asked one of the Knights sitting across from him.

"Shoot." replied Natsu, while not looking up from his task of putting on his second vambrace.

"Are all of those stories about you destroying things before the drakes showed up true?" he asked, mainly wanting to know about the Lullaby incident.

"I'm sad to admit that most of them are." answered Natsu with a little chuckle. "But it's what made the person you now see before you."

"So you actually helped take on a Demon from the Book of Zeref?" he asked while leaning forward slightly to make sure he didn't miss anything.

"I have indeed." responded the dragon slayer while re-equipping his combat boots, which he then started to put on. "I can only assume that you're inquiring about Lullaby, to think that a simple little flute was capable of taking so many lives."

"You'd know something about that wouldn't you." mumbled a different Knight to the right of him.

"That I am, my family actually lives in Clover Town so it's an honor to finally meet the person responsible for saving all of those lives." stated the first Rune Knight in an excited tone as he reached forward to try and shake Natsu's hand.

"I wasn't the only one to dispose of that demon; I had the help of my team that day. Without their help I don't know if I would even be standing here today." replied Natsu as he shook the man's hand.

"It's a shame that they were." mumbled the same Knight from before, not noticing the slight twitch that Natsu made after hearing him.

"Which team of yours are you talking about, because according to Sorcerer's Weekly you've actually been on quite a few teams and still are even after being promoted to Master?" he asked while squeezing into the spot right next to the pink haired dragon slayer.

"That happened a few years ago, and if I recall correctly we weren't even a team at that point." said Natsu as he slipped on his last boot and re-equipped his coat and quickly tossed it on. "It was my very first team and that was actually when we realized that we worked well together. There was me, Happy, Erza, Gray and Lucy, who actually only just joined the guild a few days earlier." he finished with a fond smile while looking off in the distance.

"Erza sounds vaguely familiar, but I don't think I've heard those other names before." replied the Knight with a slightly confused expression. Not noticing a fellow Knight motioning to him to shut the hell up before he said something he might regret. "Were they part of the group that died on that Island a few years back?" he asked with a somber expression as he looked over at the Fairy Tail mage. Not even noticing how eerily quiet it became in their compartment, or how tense and on edge the rest of his fellow Knights had become.

All of them except for the one Knight to actually ask the question waited on baited breath to see how the Guild Master of Fairy Tail would react to this. Because from what the rumors going around the Council said, it was the easiest way to set the mage off. Almost instantly reverting him back to mage he once was when he was known for his destruction and acting on his emotions. So to say that they were all slightly confused by the warm smile that spread across his lips would be an understatement.

"Yes they are part of the group that went missing a few years back." replied Natsu still smiling. "But they aren't dead." he finished while losing his smile, making a few of the other Knights start sweating in anticipation.

"Sorry Master Dragneel, I didn't know." said the Knight before quickly bowing in apology.

"It's fine, even if the rest of the world thinks that they're dead. I know that they aren't and that is the only thing that matters." he stated once again going back to his cheery self. This caused the other Knights to let out a sigh of relief that the other two easily heard. This caused the Knight to look at all of them with a weird look, while Natsu just gave them a knowing look that caused a few of them to gulp.

"Is it okay if I ask you a few more questions Master Dragneel?" asked the Knight, clearly making the most of his time being this close to the mage with nothing else going on.

"I see no reason why you couldn't." came the reply of the now grinning dragon slayer.

"Why aren't you a Wizard Saint?" he asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Because they don't need a mage like him." mumbled the Knight that obviously had something against the pink haired mage they were escorting. It also appeared that he didn't know how good a dragon slayer's sense of hearing are, otherwise he probably would have kept those comments to himself.

Luckily for him, Natsu didn't feel like confronting him about it just yet and decided to focus his attention on the other Knight asking him questions. "I guess you could say that the Council and I don't always see eye to eye on certain things. And because of that I didn't think it would be a good idea for me to become a Wizard Saint and have to argue with them more than I already do." he answered while scratching his chin in thought.

"But the Wizard Saints aren't like the rest of the branches in the Council." stated the excited Rune Knight. "They only have to follow the orders of the Council when the country is in a state of emergency. And not only that, but you'd also get access to the jobs that only Wizards Saints are allowed to do." he continued to say in his excited tone.

"I know all of that, but I'm still going to decline as of right now." replied Natsu with a little chuckle at how excited the Rune Knight was just from talking with him.

"Okay I guess." responded the Knight with a slight frown that he soon lost. "So is it true that you know more types of magic than just your two different dragon slaying magic?" It was at this point that most of the other Rune Knights couldn't help but start listening in on the conversation.

"I've started to learn a few different ones since a little while before I became the guild Master of my guild. But I'd definitely have to say that I'm the best with the two that you just mentioned." said Natsu with a little chuckle.

"So what are these new types of magic that you're learning?" he asked, just barely being able to contain his excitement.

"I've learned how to use pretty much all of the basic elemental types out there, but I'd have to say that I'm still just a novice at best with them. Other than those I've learned a few that are really handy, like re-equip which is where I store anything that I don't feel like carrying on me." answered the dragon slayer while re-equipping his claymore only to put it on his back.

"I've actually got a question about that one." stated a different Knight sitting near the back entrance of their compartment.

"And what would that be?" asked Natsu while turning to look at the man.

"Why didn't you just re-equip all of your gear on at once? Instead of doing it one at a time and then putting them on yourself afterwards." he asked with an inquisitive look spread across his mug.

"Because I can't, and the number of mages actually capable of doing that is quite slim, with it probably being in the single digits." said Natsu as a fond smile started to make its way to his lips. "Erza, or as most people probably know her as, Titania, can change between full sets of armor within the blink of an eye. Making her extremely hard to pin down or even predict what her next move will be." he finished as he thought back to all of the times he challenged her. Each of their spars ending with his defeat, with one of the biggest reasons for that being her capability to adapt and change on the fly while he was usually stuck with just charging straight in.

"Really, even someone as strong as you can't do that?" asked a different Knight in disbelief.

"Yep, magic is funny like that. Something that could be as simple as breathing for one person could be impossible for someone else to ever even come close to accomplishing." he stated with a slight grin.

"Is that why most mages focus on just one form of magic?" asked the Knight that had been talking with him the whole time.

"It's probably the most common reason for mages sticking to just one type of Magic." he replied while slowly looking at all of the Knights listening in on their conversation. "It took me most of my life to get to the current level that I am with my fire dragon slayer magic, and it would probably take that long to get to that level with a different type of magic." he finished, only getting confused looks from all of the Knights.

"Shouldn't it be easier since you've already done it before?" inquired the Knight that had been saying snide comments up until now.

"It is, but only until you reach the novice level, well for me at least. Every person is different, and because of that they can take to different magic types easier than others." he continued to explain. "I've found out that I have an affinity to most forms of fire magic, and because of that I'm already past the novice level on the new ones I'm learning."

"Which are what exactly?" asked the first Knight to start talking with him.

"Sorry, but I can't tell you everything that I'm up to, where would be the fun in that?" replied Natsu with one of his toothy grins.

"Oh come on!" he said now looking at him with wide eyes.

"Nope, I've already probably said more than I should have as it is. But that's what I get for riding in one of these death traps." stated Natsu while gesturing to their train compartment.

"Aren't you supposed to be extremely ill while on any form of transportation?" asked the Knight that clearly didn't care for the dragon slayer.

"Yeah, he's right, I remember being told that if we could get you onto the train you shouldn't put up too much of a fight." said the first Knight with a slightly confused expression coming over his face as he looked at the pink haired man sitting right next to him.

"As you can see that is no longer the case, and what I had to do to get over it was literally the worst thing I've ever had to go through." answered Natsu with a look of horror flashing over his face for the briefest second. "Now if you wouldn't mind, I think I'll spend the remainder of the trip reading." he said while re-equipping the only book that anyone ever saw him reading, and opened it to a bookmark over halfway through it.

 **Several hours later, just a few minutes away from reaching the Council's Headquarters:**

At this point the compartment with Natsu in it only had about ten Knights remaining in it. And the reason for this was the other Knights decided to head to the dining compartment, a few cars in front of theirs to go and get an early lunch. They tried to convince Natsu to join them, but he kept on reassuring them that he wasn't hungry and even encouraged some of the others to go with the rest of them. This left him with his face buried in his book and the remaining Rune Knights not making a single sound as they all nervously watched him.

"So are we going to do this or are all of you having second thoughts?" asked Natsu while not even looking up from his book.

"And what exactly do you mean by that Salamander?" asked the Knight who made all of those remarks that he thought the dragon slayer didn't hear.

"What I mean by that is for some reason, you specifically, have had something against me since the moment you stepped into my guild." he replied as he continued to read. "The same can be said about the rest of you here, but not to the same extent as you. And don't even try to deny it, as soon as you entered my guildhall I was alerted about your ill intentions towards either me or my guild."

"That isn't true Master Dragneel." blurted out one of the other Knights with a slightly panicked look coming over his visage.

"Then why has your heart rate increased to the point that is sounds like it's going to burst from your chest after my previous comment?" he asked as a smirk started to spread across his lips. "Not only that, but all of you have been extremely nervous since the beginning of this trip. Constantly looking between each other and monitoring the rest of your fellow Rune Knights, probably hoping for a situation just like this."

"And what situation are you referring to?" asked the first Knight, only to then swallow nervously as Natsu finally looked up from his book and locked eyes with him.

"A situation where it's only your little group and me left in this train car." replied Natsu, with his eyes once again changing into slits that gave him a predatory look. "The ideal circumstances to get rid of someone permanently, so what's it going to be gents?" he asked as he slowly looked at each and every one of them in the eyes. During which he could easily see the fear that each of them held for him, but what he was more interested in was the traces of hate for him that he could also still see.

"Even if that were true Salamander, what reason would any of us have for trying something as foolhardy and suicidal as that?" inquired the only Knight not crippled by the fear they all had for the dragon slayer right now.

"That's the only thing that I don't know right now." responded Natsu as he closed his book and put it away in his pocket dimension. "At first I thought that you all might be dark mages that infiltrated the Rune Knights, but considering that Lahar is your Commander that is almost impossible. Which leaves me to assume that you all believe that I've wronged you in some way." he finished while his smirk disappeared and was replaced with a slight frown.

"That is quite the deduction Salamander, it would seem that the rumors about you no longer being a complete idiot are true." he said as a smirk started to spread across his lips.

"Thanks, so do you mind letting me in on what I did to deserve being the target of a small fraction of Rune Knights?" asked Natsu as he locked eyes with whom he could only assume was the leader.

"Might as well, seeing as you were able to figure out something was off with all of us." he replied while gesturing to his fellow Knights. "We each have our own reasons for doing this, whether it being something like you not saving their friends or families from the drakes. Or in my case, it's as simple as me seeing you for what you truly are; a monster and not the Hero that the rest of Fiore is trying to make you out to be. If someone doesn't stop you now, you'll become the next Acnologia." he finished while now full on glaring back at the pink haired mage.

"Interesting, I knew that there were plenty of people out there that hated me for not being able to save their loved ones." said Natsu now having a sad expression wash over his features. "They've made that abundantly clear in their letters that they've sent to me, but to think that you would all go so far as to try and murder me because of it. And doing so could possibly be condemning thousands of others to live through the same pain that you went through."

"There you go, trying to make yourself out to be the hero here." stated the Knight in disgust.

"Far from it, I've never seen myself as a hero and I'm only stating a fact here. For the past three years I've had to deal with around forty different drakes, usually making it in time before they can destroy anything." said the dragon slayer no longer looking sad and starting to look upset. "And when I didn't make it in time, it was because of the Council believing that they could handle it on their own or there was no way of me knowing before it was already too late."

"Those are just excuses!" shouted out a different Knight as he grabbed his spear and lunged at the Master of Fairy Tail from behind. But in the blink of an eye his spear tip fell to the ground and he found himself staring at the tip of a jagged dagger just centimeters from his nose.

"That they are, but unfortunately they're also the truth as much as I wish they weren't. Because if they weren't then I possibly could have saved a few more." replied Natsu as he looked the Knight in the eyes, letting him see that he was telling the truth. "And just like everyone that has sent a letter telling me to die, I know that you're all just placing your anger and hatred at what happened to your loved ones on who you currently see as the most logical person." he continued to say while pointing a thumb at himself. "I'm hoping that you'll eventually see that it's misplaced, so with that in mind I won't hurt any of you that are here for that reason." he finished while dropping his dagger from the face of the terrified Knight.

"So what does that mean for those that think like me?" asked the leader with a smug grin.

"Well, for people like you, I don't really have a problem with hurting." he answered as a grin spread across his face while his dagger burst into flames. The leader was clearly surprised to see this, given that he instantly started to stagger backwards with a terrified look in his eyes.

"How? You shouldn't be able to access your offensive magic with the runes that we have in place." stuttered out the Knight as he kept backing away from the pink haired mage.

"Have you ever wondered why there are so many of you Rune Knights." he asked back as his grin started to grow in size. "The simple reason for that is because you guys rely on strength in numbers, which for the most part works really well with runes given how easy it is for multiple people to lend their magic to them. But that doesn't work when you only have ten of you and are going up against someone like me." explained Natsu while twirling his flaming dagger by the chain.

The leader while still backing away in fear had a slight glimpse of hope when three other Rune Knights charged at the man they were ordered to protect. But with the fluidity that only comes from years of experience, Natsu quickly disarmed them and knocked them away from him. Seeing this he turned tail and took off for the exit as fast as humanly possible, coming to a screeching halt as a dagger flew over his shoulder and imbedded itself in the door. Effectively blocking his only way of escape, forcing the poor man to slowly turn back and look at the angry mage stalking towards him.

"Now I'd like to clear something up." stated Natsu as he backed the Knight up against the door. "What makes you believe that I'll become a monster like Acnologia?" he asked while slamming a flaming fist right next to the man's head.

"B-b-because A-acnologia used t-t-t-to be a d-d-dragon slayer like y-you." he stuttered out as the area between his legs got darker and slowly worked its way down his legs. If he had been able to look Natsu in his eyes he would have been surprised to see a shocked expression flash across the mage's face for just a second.

"And how exactly did you come by this information?" he asked as his magic started to flare, easily letting them know he wasn't messing around.

"I used to work in the Council's record department, and while there I happened to stumble upon a parchment about the Dragon Civil War." answered the terrified Knight as fast as possible.

"And?" he asked with a sneer while all of them ignored the pounding and shouts of confusion coming from the next car.

"It said that Acnologia was one of the very first dragon slayers ever and he actually started out on the side that was trying to achieve coexistence between both species. But something changed in him and he eventually turned into that monster, that's all I could get from it." continued the Knight, barely being able to remain on his own two feet.

"Do you still have this parchment?" asked Natsu while still keeping the poor man trapped between him and the door.

"N-n-no, I gave it to my s-superior." he stuttered out while closing his eyes and waiting for the beating of his life to start. But before that could happen, two individuals appeared in the center of the compartment that just a few minutes earlier they would have been upset to see. But seeing them now was like a blessing for all of the Rune Knights as they looked at Lahar and Doranbolt.

"What in the blazing hells is going on in here?" asked Lahar as the two newcomers surveyed their surroundings.

"Nothing Lahar, isn't that right guys?" replied Natsu as his expression quickly changed into his usual cheery self.

"Like hell nothing went on in here Natsu." stated Doranbolt as he gestured to the broken spears scattered around the car. With his final gesture being him pointing at the door that still had a dagger lodged in it and a clear fist indentation on the right side of it.

"Would you believe me if I told you that it was just a friendly sparring session?" he asked with a smirk as he pulled out his dagger and started to walk towards the two of them.

"No, but I've got feeling that is the best we're going to get." mumbled Lahar with a frown as he shook his head. "So men, is that what actually happened in here?" he asked with a stern expression as he looked at his men.

"Yes Sir!" replied all of them except for the still terrified one standing in front of the door.

"See, just giving some of your men a few pointers." said the dragon slayer as he came up to Lahar, who brushed past him and came to a stop in front of the one yet to answer his earlier question. "Isn't that right my friend, and sorry about getting so into it with you." he continued to say with a grin that did nothing to calm down the poor Knight.

"I'd say, you made the poor bastard piss himself." pointed out Doranbolt with a little snicker.

"Is what Master Dragneel said true Soldier?" asked Lahar while intently watching every move that the man made, noticing that he kept looking over at Natsu with an absolutely terrified look on his face.

"Y-yes Sir!" he answered to the best of his abilities. "It's exactly as Salamander said, he was just showing us the best way to fend off multiple attackers." he finished in a fairly convincing tone, but it appeared to not convince his commanding officer.

"Well whatever actually happened here today is probably something much worse, so we'll go with this little story of yours. Only because we don't have any time for this thanks to us staying in Magnolia longer than I initially wanted to." replied Lahar while pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"You've become quite the little rule breaker over the past few years." stated Natsu with a little chuckle as he elbowed him in the ribs gently.

"Only when I'm dealing with a royal pain in the ass such as yourself." he commented while pushing aside the Knight in his way towards the exit. This of course caused the Master of Fairy Tail to actually break into laughter as he followed him with Doranbolt by his side. Where the two of them watched as the bespectacled mage struggled with opening up the door, only to stop and turn back to the person responsible for it with a blank stare.

"What?" asked Natsu while not being able to keep a serious expression.

"Open it." came Lahar's reply as he stepped aside. The still scared Knights watched in sheer awe as Natsu effortlessly ripped the door out of its frame and set it to the side. This allowed the three of them to then head into the now crowded car in front of theirs as if it was completely normal for them to do so.

"What did I miss?" asked the excited Knight from earlier as he looked around the slightly destroyed car. But rather than getting any sort of response from the other Knights, they all just went back to their seats without saying another word. All of them realizing how foolish they had been with their plans, not only that but also how lucky they all were to still be alive.

 **Three hours later in the main lobby of the Council's Headquarters:**

"And this is exactly why I wasn't in any sort of rush to get here." stated Natsu from the bench he was currently sprawled out on. Not caring about all of the weird looks he was getting from the Council employees that were going about their daily business.

"I told them that I could have just grabbed you when it was time." replied Doranbolt with a little grin from the next bench over.

"But then they wouldn't have been able to show that they are still in control." commented Lahar from beside the teleportation mage. "And could you please try and look respectful while we're here." he finished while looking at the dragon slayer lounging about as if he owned the place.

"Naw, this way is more comfortable." he answered with a little smirk sent their way.

"Master Dragneel?" asked a frog like creature as it came up to his bench.

"The one and only." he said while not making any indications of getting up anytime soon.

"They told me that it would be a few more minutes until they can speak with you." it replied while giving him an all too familiar look. The look of someone wondering if what she heard and also saw from him was the actual truth.

"Fantastic, it's not like I don't have anything better to do with my time." he replied in a very sarcastic tone.

"They're only waiting for one last person to arrive before the meeting can commence." said the messenger before giving a quick bow and scurrying away from them.

"Do you two know who that might be?" he asked while turning back to the two Council employees that he actually considers his friends.

"Nope." responded Doranbolt as he leaned back in the bench, trying to find a comfier position since it seemed like they might be there for a while.

"If I'd have to guess I'd go with the last of the Wizard Saints." answered Lahar, not noticing the slightly curious look Natsu was currently giving him.

"And why would you think that?" he asked with an eyebrow raised at the Knight.

"Because this meeting is dealing with National Security, which is all I can really tell you." said Lahar with a smug grin slowly spreading across his lips. Enjoying that for once he had something that Natsu clearly wanted to know and there was nothing the dragon slayer could do but wait and find out for himself.

"You're definitely more fun to be around when you're not all serious." stated Natsu as he all of a sudden jumped to his feet and started to walk aimlessly down a hallway. This caused the other two to look at each other; both wondering what in the world caused him to randomly decide to go for a walk.

"I'll stick with him, just give me a call when they want him." said Doranbolt as he got up and followed after the dragon slayer.

"Make sure it's actually on." shouted out Lahar.

"What kind of idiot do you take…" Doranbolt started to say until he looked at his wrist before quickly adjusting something on it and turning away from his friend.

"Also please try and keep him out of trouble." hollered Lahar with a little laugh as Doranbolt flipped him off.

 **With Natsu:**

"Pardon me Sir, but you're not allowed back there." stated another frog like creature while standing in between Natsu and a door that said 'Authorized Personnel Only.'

"Says who?" asked Natsu as he glared down at the frog.

"The Council of course!" he shouted back at him as he started to reach for a button that would alert the guards. But right before he could press it, Doranbolt appeared right next to him and stopped him just an inch away.

"I wouldn't do that if I was you, it would only make matters worse." said Doranbolt, causing the frog to look at him incredulously. "And no I'm not telling you to let him through, I just can't see what good will come from you calling the guards on the Master of Fairy Tail." he finished as the frog's eyes shot wide open as he looked back at Natsu, who had a large grin spread across his face.

"But it looked like he was going to just push past me." he stated after Doranbolt released his wrist.

"And he probably was going to, but that's why I'm with him." replied the teleportation mage as he quickly sent the pink haired man a glare.

"Okay, but make sure that he stays where he's supposed to." he said while also giving Natsu a glare, that was quickly lost when he got one back.

"If you can't let me back there, then can you at least tell me what they're up to?" asked Natsu as he got so that he was only a foot away from the frog like creature.

"No, I can't Master Dragneel, I don't even know myself. And even if I did, I wouldn't go around telling whoever asked me." he replied while not being able to meet the dragon slayer's eyes.

"Then I guess I'm just going to have to see for myself." stated the dragon slayer as a mischievous grin washed over his visage. And while that happened he got into an all too familiar stance that instantly got his escort to start freaking out.

"Natsu! Wait one freaking second before you start blasting through who knows what!" shouted out Doranbolt as he teleported so that he was now right in front of the pink haired fire mage. He just hoped that Natsu wouldn't just blast him along with the door that stood in between him and whatever was behind it.

"And why should I when I already have a pretty good idea at what is most likely happening in there?" he asked in a slightly angry tone, not caring that both Doranbolt and the frog had shocked expressions on their faces.

"You know what's back there?" asked the frog in disbelief.

"Let's just say that if I'm correct, then nothing good will come from it." was his cryptic reply.

"What do you think is going on behind there?" asked Doranbolt, knowing that it was usually smart to follow a dragon slayer's instinct.

"I don't know how, but if I'm correct those dumb geezers somehow got their hands on a d…" he started to reply until he abruptly stopped and looked off in the distance in a random direction. While he was looking in that direction a slightly sinister grin started to make its way across his mug, causing the other two to slightly grow nervous. "I'll tell you later Doranbolt, but right now I've got someone I just have to meet." he finished with probably one of his more disturbing grins spread across his lips.

"Is he always like that?" asked the Frog as the two of them watched him start walking away from them.

"No, actually yes, in the sense that he seems to always just do whatever he wants and lets everyone else figure out what he's up to on their own. Or when it's already done and it's too late to stop him." answered Doranbolt as he shook his head as he followed after the pink haired mage.

"Salamander… I mean Master Dragneel." stuttered out Daniel Arthstram as he almost accidentally ran into the older dragon slayer. Who apparently was so focused on something else that he also didn't take notice of the younger dragon slayer until they were mere inches away from each other.

"Hello there Daniel." replied Natsu as he took in the man's appearance, which was pretty much exactly the same as when he last saw him. Except for him not being a pitiful mess that could barely stand on his own, and along with that he had a few new scars that Natsu was confident he didn't give to him.

"What are you doing here?" asked the lava dragon slayer as he took a couple of steps back, preferring to be on the safe side of things.

"Not to have a rematch with you if that's what you were thinking." answered Natsu with a little chuckle. "I was summoned by the Council for apparently a very important meeting." he finished in a slightly mocking tone.

"That's why I'm here." he stated in disbelief.

"You are one of the few mages out there that can deal with these annoying drakes so it's not that surprising." commented Natsu as he walked past the younger dragon slayer and motioned for him to follow.

"Then why didn't they summon any of your other dragon slayers?" he asked as he fell into step with the guild Master of Fairy Tail.

"There's so many reasons for them to not invite all of them here." replied Natsu, only to get a questioning look from Daniel. "The first one and probably most likely reason they didn't request all of them was because I'll be able to relay whatever this is once I head back. Or they might not like the idea of me having such strong mages with me as we discuss things that I can only assume will get heated." he finished with a little smirk.

"I guess that makes sense." mumbled Danny as he looked down at his feet.

"What's the matter, aren't you going to shout at me, telling me that I'm completely wrong about how things work around here?" he asked with an eyebrow raised as he took a quick glance at the blonde.

"No." mumbled Danny while not looking back up.

"I take it that you started to ask a few questions that they didn't want you to." he stated as he went back to leading their way through the building that was surprisingly full of life at the moment.

"Yes, but they still won't tell me anything, or at least the truth that is." replied Danny as he finally looked up at his elder. Expecting to see an upset expression on the fire dragon slayer's visage, but instead he only saw a slight smirk.

"Figures, they don't want to risk losing you over something that they see as trivial and in the past." he said while coming to a stop in the main lobby, where he started to survey all of the people passing through it. "My offer still stands Danny, and along with that if you ever feel like you need a change of scenery Fairy Tail is more than happy to have you." he said while giving him a quick grin.

"Thanks Master Dragneel, but as of right now I won't leave here until I've got some answers." responded Danny with a determined look on his face. "Especially about what they are doing with them." he mumbled to himself, forgetting that he was in the presence of another dragon slayer.

"So they do have them behind those doors back there." stated Natsu as he continued to look at the people gathered in the lobby. "And don't look so surprised Danny, I'm also a dragon slayer, except my senses are significantly better than yours." he said not even needing to look back at the shocked expression of the other dragon slayer.

"But how, those rooms are supposed to be sealed airtight?" Danny asked in disbelief.

"That they are, but that doesn't stop me from being able to follow a scent until it reaches those damn doors." he answered just as he spotted the person he was fairly sure he was looking for.

In the doorway of the lobby stood a man with medium length silver hair that he had held up in two ponytails that looked eerily similar to rabbit ears. He looked to be at least twelve years older than Natsu, most likely putting his age in the mid-thirties. The man could definitely be ranked towards the top of Fiore's most eligible bachelors, if not number one. His only flaw, which some women would consider it being the exact opposite, was a horizontal scar going over the bridge of his nose.

Along with his good looks he was currently wearing a custom made robe that screamed fancy to the fire dragon slayer inspecting him at the moment. And how he was able to deduce this was due to the large wheel of blades jutting out from his back. Natsu could only assume the man wore this to try and give himself an, other worldly feel to him, maybe even trying to go for a divine look. Taking in his whole appearance Natsu could already tell that he wasn't going to get along with this man.

Something that he instantly confirmed when they locked eyes with each other, and the stranger getting an extremely smug grin as he made his way over to the two dragon slayers and Doranbolt. And during his entire walk towards them he never once broke eye contact with Natsu.

"Well if it isn't the only man to continuously turn down becoming a Wizard Saint, Natsu Dragneel." said the stranger loud enough for the entire lobby to stop and listen in. "Which isn't even the most interesting thing about you." he continued to say with that smug grin of his.

"Sorry, but you seem to have me at a disadvantage since I don't know who you are." replied Natsu with a smirk slowly forming on his lips.

"You might not be able to place my face, but I'm sure that you've heard of me." stated the stranger still grinning, enjoying how the whole room was listening in on their conversation.

"I'm not too sure about that buddy, I've been known to be absent minded sometimes." said Natsu, going along with the stranger's game even though he was able to hear some of the other people whispering the stranger's name.

"You are standing before God Serena." he declared in a very grandiose way, expecting to get some sort of shocked reaction from the pink haired dragon slayer standing before him. But all he got was a blank stare, which caused him to grit his teeth in frustration before continuing on. "Hybrid Theory, the number one Wizard Saint."

"Oh yea, never heard of you." replied Natsu, causing a few people to faint while everyone else looked at him in disbelief. None more so than God Serena, who looked like he might explode on the spot at the ridiculousness of what he was hearing. But that expression only remained for a millisecond before going back to his standard smug one.

"That's to be expected from an up and comer such as yourself, always focused on your own things rather than what's going on elsewhere." he stated with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"The same can be said about you since I haven't heard about you dealing with any of the drakes showing up recently." said Natsu, causing some of the people gathered in the lobby to look at him weird.

"I don't know what you mean by that Dragneel, from what I've heard only dragon slayers are equipped to deal with these drakes. Actually that's incorrect, someone at my level could easily deal with one of those drakes but after that earlier incident with the tenth they've been hesitant to send any more of us out there. Probably because of your guild having more than enough dragon slayers to handle it." he replied with a smirk as they locked eyes and had a little stare down.

"You're forgetting about Danny here." pointed out Natsu while nodding his head towards the blonde that was silently standing next to him.

"Oh, sorry about that Danny." said Serena while stretching out Danny's name. "I thought you would have died by now, but aren't you just the little fighter."

"Yes, Sir." replied Danny, slightly intimidated by being in the presence of the strongest mage in the country.

"It looks like you've got some fresh scars there, no doubt from taking on one of those menacing drakes." commented Serena while once again having that smug grin of his. "If you're not careful you soon might look like this ugly bastard here." he continued to say while slinging his arm around Natsu's shoulder, shocking everyone in the room for various reasons. They all held their breaths, wondering how the fire dragon slayer would react to that.

"Sorry that we all can't look as if we've just stepped out of a magazine." he responded with a little chuckle, signaling to everyone else that it was okay to breathe again. "And I've already got a gorgeous wife that loves me for who I am, so I don't really care about what I look like to other people."

"Wise words, Dragneel." stated Serena while nodding his head in agreement. "It's no wonder that they elected you as the next guild Master, despite being at such a young age."

"Thanks." he replied, not knowing what else to say to the man that was currently acting as if they were the best of friends.

"No need, after everything you've done for this country I should be the one thanking you." said Serena as he started to lead their group towards the center of the building. "So is it true that you have another dragon slaying element other than your fire?" he asked with a curious look coming over his visage.

"Does this answer your question?" Natsu asked back while smoke started to billow around his right hand.

"That's incredible, where in the world did you find a lacrima like that it if you don't mind me asking?" he asked as he finally took his arm off the pink haired dragon slayer and raised an eyebrow at him questioningly.

"I didn't find a dragon lacrima, I got this ability during one of my many fights with the drakes." answered Natsu while having a sly grin spread across his face at the shocked look he currently was receiving from the Wizard Saint.

"Bullshit!" he stated while shaking his head in denial. "So you are actually expecting me to believe that not only were you raised by a real dragon. But now you're trying to say that somehow you just randomly got another form of it?" he asked while coming to a complete stop.

"You're free to believe whatever you want Saint Serena." replied Natsu as he didn't stop and continued to walk past him. "All I know is that I'm a first generation dragon slayer, not needing the help of a lacrima to do what I do. And as far as I know I'm also the first one capable of using more than just one element." he finished while giving the Saint a quick grin.

This caused God Serena to look livid with rage for the briefest second, only for him to once again go back to his overall cocky attitude. Prompting him to catch back up to the pink haired dragon slayer as if he was completely fine and dandy.

"It's a big world out there Dragneel, I wouldn't be surprised if a mage had even more than just two different types of dragon slaying magic at their disposal." stated Serena as he watched to see how the Master of Fairy Tail would react to that.

"You're probably right, but I'm guessing that if someone out there does have more than two. Then he probably only obtained them through lacrimas and isn't a true dragon slayer." he commented back while not even looking at him.

"I can see how you might think that, but wouldn't the only way for anyone to really be a true dragon slayer would require them to actually kill a dragon." argued Serena, having caught on to Natsu trying to get under his skin.

"Good point Saint Serena, but from my experiences so far, whether they're a second or third generation dragon slayer. Neither of them have the potential to grow like a first generation dragon slayer does, but that's just my opinion." he said as they finally came to a stop in front of a large door that had Lahar waiting for them beside it.

"For some reason I have to completely disagree with you on that one, Dragneel." replied Serena as he headed towards the door. "Maybe someday you'll run into a dragon slayer with a few different lacrimas and he'll show you just how wrong you truly are." he stated before opening the doors and strolling right on in.

"Yes, but first he'd have to show himself which I don't really understand why anyone would keep something like that secret with everything that's going on these days." replied Natsu, only causing the Wizard Saint to start chuckling as he continued walking away from them.

"What in the world was that all about?" asked Lahar with a confused expression.

"I honestly have no idea, and I've been with them this whole time." stated Doranbolt as Danny nodded his head in agreement. This caused all of them to turn and look at the pink haired dragon slayer who was still watching God Serena heading to a seat saved for him at the head of the table in the other room.

"Just two mages sizing each other up." answered Natsu before he too went into the other room. But rather than going to the far end of the table that currently had the rest of the Wizard Saints and other high ranking officials of the Council. Such as the actual Council itself, and someone he didn't recognize but had to assume was fairly import seeing as they were sitting right next to the Chairman. He opted to sit at the other end of the table, easily leaving a few feet between him and the next closest person.

This of course caused a few of the gathered people to raise an eyebrow questioningly, while Serena on the other hand let out a little chuckle. Unfortunately this left the other three in an odd predicament, where they had to choose between following his example or sitting with the rest of them. Lahar never being one to let something like this stop him headed into the room and sat with the others, which spurred the other two into following him and doing the same.

"Now that everyone is here we can finally proceed." announced Chairman Gran Doma.

"Good, because I'm a little curious what is so important that you felt the need to send two platoons of Rune Knights to come and get me?" asked Natsu as he leaned back in his chair and put his feet on the table. The reactions he got from his casual laid back attitude, ranged from slightly amused to unabashed disgust and anger.

"Why you disrespectful little punk." seethed a Councilman as he started to rise from his chair, only for Jura to put a hand on his shoulder as he shook his head.

"What I think he was trying to say Master Dragneel, is that despite whatever you believe goes on in these meetings of ours. We have an order to them and would also really prefer it if you took them seriously." stated Councilman Leiji with a forced smile, being unable to hide the contempt that he held for the current guild Master of the country's still most destructive guild.

"This is me taking this whole thing seriously, otherwise I wouldn't be here right now." replied the dragon slayer before letting out a really big yawn, which only caused a few other Council members to shout out their disapproval at him.

"ENOUGH, all you're doing right now is proving his assumptions to be correct!" bellowed Gran Doma as he glared at his fellow Council members. This effectively caused a silence to fall over the room, which was then interrupted by the snickering of God Serena.

"What, I find him amusing." replied the Wizard Saint as he shrugged off the glares now being sent his way.

"Hopefully we can now get to discussing the reason why you were all summoned here like the adults that you all claim to be." said the Chairman while letting out a tired sigh. "To put it simply, our country is at the brink of a war that we've been able to hold off for more than a few decades now." he finished, which only seemed to be news to the pink haired man at the other end of the table.

"Are you telling me that you've known about the drakes for that long?" shouted out Natsu as he shot to his feet and slammed his fists onto the table.

"Please let him finish Master Dragneel." said Jura, while giving the upset dragon slayer a look that told him to trust him. And to most of the room's surprise, Natsu picked up his chair and sat back down seeming incredibly interested in the conversation now.

"And to answer your question Master Dragneel, no we didn't know about them until just a little bit before you did. Which only makes this other threat of ours that much more serious, because we can't wage a war with them while also dealing with those infernal drakes." replied Chairman Doma. "As most of you already know the threat that I'm referring to is none other than the Alvarez Empire." he finished with a somber look as he gazed out at the people gathered around the large table.

"I thought we resolved that issue when we used Etherion on them last time?" asked the man that Natsu still had no idea who he was.

"The Defense Minister is right, they wouldn't be foolish enough to attack us again. Especially when they know that we have that other safeguard in place as well." declared Councilman Michello.

"Hush Councilman Michello, not everyone gathered here today has high enough clearance to even know of its existence." hissed Belno as she glared at the cat-like man.

"She's correct about that Councilman Michello, but it doesn't really matter since it appears Alvarez is no longer afraid of either of them." stated Chairman Doma, causing most of the Council members to erupt into a panicked chaos. Resulting in each of them trying to suggest what could be done to prevent the starting of what seemed like an imminent war between the two countries. Even some of the Wizards Saints seemed joined in on the chaos, making it almost impossible for the room to ever go back to its previous calm state.

And during this time Natsu payed close attention to how everyone was reacting to hearing this news that had apparently been kept from all of them. Jura was trying his best to bring order back to the room that was supposed to contain some of the country's best and brightest. Luckily he wasn't alone on that front; Lahar and Doranbolt were both trying to help out the earth mage on his attempts to regain order. Daniel Arthstram on the other hand seemed frozen solid in his seat after hearing that full on warfare between Alvarez and Fiore was just around the corner.

He wasn't the only one stuck like that, a few of the Council members and some of the lower Wizard Saints joined him in stunned silence. Which seemed like a completely reasonable response in Natsu's opinion, something that could also be said about the ones currently freaking out. But the same thing couldn't be said about three certain individuals, which consisted of Chairman Doma, the Defense Minister, and finally God Serena.

The Defense Minister and Gran Doma both calmly sat back as they watched the rest of the assembled people squabble over what actions they thought should be taken. After seeing this Natsu could only assume that the two of them knew something that they weren't telling them. It was more than likely some sort of way to hold off Alvarez's advances for at least a few more years if he went by how calm they were. While God Serena on the other hand was in a completely different category of his own.

Unlike everyone else, he seemed amused at hearing all of this. And the Wizard Saint did an extremely good job at covering up that little tidbit about himself by trying to hide it behind his usual smug façade. But the gleam in his eyes or how his smirk grew ever so slightly wasn't missed by the pink haired dragon slayer that so far remained silent. A silence that he was soon going to ending since he learned as much as he could just from sitting back and watching.

"Well if that's all you have to say Chairman, then I think I'll be on my way." stated Natsu as he made sure to make as much noise as he could while getting up from his chair and putting it back. This added with the efforts of those trying to calm everyone down, caused the room to become eerily quiet as they watched him start to leave the meeting. All of them shocked that he was just going to casually walk away after hearing such troubling news.

"Wait Master Dragneel." said the Defense Minister, effectively stopping the pink haired man in his tracks.

"I can only assume that you figured out that we haven't told you everything going on here, more specifically why you were requested to attend this meeting." continued Gran Doma as everyone turned to look at him questioningly.

"And why is that?" he asked as he slowly came back to the table but didn't take a seat.

"Because Emperor Spriggan himself, requested an audience with you." replied Defense Minister Darton. "In a message that his representative would only give directly to the King, which stated that failure to comply would result in a declaration of war between our two nations."

"So if I've got this correct, you're saying that all we need to do to prevent a war with Alvarez is for me to go and speak with this Emperor Spriggan?" he inquired with a skeptical look sent at Darton and the Chairman.

"It's unfortunately not that simple Master Dragneel." stated Gran Doma while intently watching the dragon slayer. "You will be acting as the Ambassador of Fiore, with the sole purpose trying to maintain peace between our two countries. Something that the Alvarez Empire seems to not be too keen on, given that they are willing to go to war if we send anyone but you at the beginning of next year." he finished, not being able to tell how Natsu was taking this.

"So what we're trying to ask Master Dragneel, will you do this for your country?" asked Darton as he locked eyes with him.

"Sure, why not, if I can prevent a war just by going and talking to some old fart then I can't really say no." he replied, causing more than a few of the people in the room to start thinking that they were doomed.

"Then we are going to need to start your lessons right away." stated the Defense Minister with a relieved smile spreading across his face.

"Not going to happen buddy." said Natsu while giving the short man a completely serious look. "And before you get your undies in a bunch let me explain. If this guy asked for me specifically, then that means he at least knows enough about me to know if it's me that is actually talking to him. Or if I'm just regurgitating your words back to him, but if you're concerned about me not being prepared then don't be. I'm fairly confident that my wife will make sure I'm up for the task, probably better than any of your fancy teachers could." he explained as he turned away from the table once again.

"Sorry, but that doesn't work for me." stated Darton as he glared at the leaving dragon slayer.

"Well it sucks to be you since that is what you're getting." he responded with a little chuckle.

"Are you telling me that you're directly defying an order from your King?" shouted out Darton in rage at the nerve of this man.

"Since when did you become the King?" asked Natsu while looking over his shoulder at him with a questioning look. "Well it doesn't really matter, since my answer would still be the same but I've got a feeling that King Toma would be more understanding than you currently are." he finished with a little smirk.

Darton was about to start screaming at the insolent brat, but Chairman Doma's hand shooting up in front of him stopped him. "Those seem to be acceptable terms, but I want to make it crystal clear that you aren't allowed to take any of your guild members along with you. And that also includes your wife and children." stated the Chairman to the shock of everyone else.

"How stupid do you think I am Chairman Doma? Actually don't answer that, and I would never take my loved ones into the territory of an enemy that seems intent on starting a war with us." he replied as he opened up the door.

"Before you leave, there is still one more thing that we need to discuss. Which is what we're going to do if there is another invasion of drakes while you're away on this diplomatic mission?" asked Doma as Natsu stood in the doorway.

"Simple, you guys will do what you always do. Just sit back and let my guild and some of the others deal with them like we have up until now." he answered with a sly grin making its way across his lips. "And if it does get really bad just send Doranbolt to come and grab me, I'm sure what's-his-name will understand."

"And if he doesn't?" asked Darton, no longer fuming at the pink haired mage.

"Then there wasn't ever going to be any sort of peace between our nations, because anyone with half a brain should know by now that I won't sit back while people are dying." he stated as he started to walk away again. "Oh and before I forget, whatever you guys are up to behind those closed doors of yours isn't going to end well for you. Just a friendly warning before it comes back to bite you all in the ass like most of your schemes eventually do." he finished with a quick wave over his shoulder.

"Are you seriously just going to let him leave like that?" asked the Minister of Defense in disbelief as he turned to look at the Chairman.

"Yes I am, Minister Darton." he replied with a stern expression coming over his visage. "Granted I would have preferred it if he didn't do everything in such an unorthodox manner, but if you're able to see past all of that. Then you'd realize some slightly surprising things about him."

"And what exactly are these things I'm not seeing about that disrespectful brat?" asked Darton, not caring that everyone else was listening in on their conversation.

"First one is that he isn't as stupid as he would like us to believe, which can be seen from him being the only one to realize that we didn't tell them everything right away." he stated while closing his eyes in thought. "Not only that but as I'm sure everyone here could tell, he's an incredibly powerful mage which is why we're going to keep offering him a position amongst the Wizard Saints."

"From what I could feel from him, he would easily give any of the Saints below me a good run for their money." stated God Serena, clearly hinting at Natsu still being underneath him.

"I don't doubt that he's a capable mage, and a strong one at that." said Darton. "What I'm worried about is his complete disregard for proper etiquette and the finer points of negotiating, or when he won't be able to rely on his fists if it doesn't work out." he finished with a sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"If you're going off of how he acted here, then don't worry since he only did that since we made a big show of bringing him here and he wanted us to know that he isn't one of our employees." explained Gran Doma with a blank expression.

"But he is, he's the guild Master of one of your guilds." he stated in an irritated tone.

"Yes he is Minister Darton, but that just means that he has to follow the guidelines that we have set in place for them. Other than that he isn't obligated to do anything that we ask of him. And yes there are other ways we could try and get him to do what we want him to, but trust me when I say it's better for everyone involved if we just let him be. Since he'll eventually do it if innocent lives are at risk, just in his own way." stated Gran Doma with a faint grin.

"Fine, but will his wife be capable of teaching him everything that he needs to know to not make a complete fool of himself?" he asked letting out, yet again, another sigh.

"I fear that it is impossible for Master Dragneel to not play the part of the fool. As for his wife though, she actually used to be a member of this Council a few years ago so she is more than qualified to help him." answered Gran Doma as he stood up. "And seeing as we still have Fairy Tail's support for dealing with the drakes, and with our other measures still needing more time I think that we can call this meeting."

"Thank the lord, if this meeting lasted as long as the last one I came to. I was going to have to make an exit like Master Dragneel did." stated God Serena as he also got up and started to stroll out of the room. Everyone else soon followed after him while quietly talking amongst themselves.

 **End of Chapter**

 **Thanks for reading, and sorry about the long wait everyone. I could give you the long reasons for it, but that's something that most of you probably don't care about. So there you have it, God Serena has finally made his first appearance in any of my stories. And if you couldn't tell, I'm going off the idea that he was like Laxus and hid the fact that he was a dragon slayer from everybody in the Council. Which is one of the reason he isn't out there taking on the drakes like Natsu, another reason will somewhat be hinted at in the next chapter as well. Thanks again for reading, so as always feel free to let me know your thoughts in either a review or PM and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.**

 **Oh and if you would like me to update faster or possibly start a new story I have information about that on my profile page.**

 **Until the next Chapter**

 **Digem Out!**


	35. Ambassador Dragneel

Ch 35: Ambassador Dragneel

 **January 6th, X789 at the port of Hargeon:**

Currently at the end of one of their docks was a fairly large gathering of Fairy Tail mages, all of them seeing off their guild Master. Who had been summoned by the Emperor of the Alvarez Empire to sit down and discuss the relations between the two countries. Of course when Natsu initially announced this to his guild six months ago he was met with confusion as to why he had to be the one to go. Only for it to then change into suspicion that it was another scheme set up by the Council to be rid of the troublesome dragon slayer.

But as they all looked at the ship currently docked before them, proudly displaying an Alvarez flag and completely manned by people clearly not from Fiore. They all had to accept that this wasn't the Council's doing, which meant that Natsu really didn't have a choice when war was the only other option to him not going. Even though they all had come to terms that he would be absent for a while, it didn't mean any of them had to be happy about it.

"We're ready to depart as soon as you are Ambassador Dragneel." stated the Captain of the ship as he looked down at all of them from the railing of his ship.

"I'll be ready in just a bit." replied Natsu as he turned back around to look at everyone gathered to see him off.

"Promise me that you'll be back as soon as possible." demanded Ultear as she gave him a stern look. One that would have any other male quivering in fear, but for him it only showed him how much his wife truly loved him.

"Of course Ul, nothing will keep me from returning back to you and the kids." he said while bringing her in for a tender hug. Which was a little awkward thanks to her currently having Asher and Milo in her arms, and him having Ava in his.

"You better." mumbled Meredy with a slight frown as she took Ava away from him.

"This isn't any different than me going out to deal with drakes." he stated with a grin that he hoped would bring a smile back to his fellow pink haired daughter.

"But it is; now you don't have anyone else going with you like you do with them. And if it is just like going off to face drakes, then that means you might die." she argued while turning away from him.

"Daddy isn't going to die Meredy-nee, nothing can stop him." shouted out Liza as she glared at her older sister. "Also he promised to take me shopping once he comes back, isn't that right Daddy?" she asked with an enormous smile as she turned back to look at him.

"Yes it is Darling." he answered before picking her up and giving her a big hug. "And don't worry about me Meredy, if I get a bad feeling about this whole thing I'll be gone before they can even think about trying to stop me." he stated while looking at her without his usual grin, letting her know that he was completely serious about it.

"Fine." mumbled Meredy before turning around and walking away from the group with Ava.

"She's taking this harder than I thought." stated Natsu with a slight frown as he watched her retreating figure.

"It's because she really cares about you Natsu, and this is the first time that she knows she can't go along with you even if she wanted to." commented Ultear as she too watched their daughter walk away. "She isn't the only one that is concerned because of that." she finished while looking into her husband's onyx eyes. Prompting the dragon slayer to bring her into one final kiss, wanting to make sure that she knew how much she meant to him.

"I'm coming back, I honestly don't know what else I can say to get that across other than that." he said after they separated.

"That's enough for me." she replied with a smile slowly spreading across her lips.

"For me too Daddy." cheered Liza before hugging his leg one more time as he patted her head.

"I feel as if we should be the ones telling you to not worry about us while you're gone." chimed in Macao with a little chuckle.

"Sorry, but I'm pretty sure that is one of the guild Master's main duties." replied Natsu as he smirked back at his fellow fire mage.

"Don't worry Master, the other S-Class mages and I will keep everyone safe while you're away." declared Kagura with a slight smile appearing on her face as she hugged him goodbye.

"Well there's more than enough of us." commented Cobra with a smug grin plastered on his mug. A grin that has pretty much been there since their last S-Class exams, which is when he, Sting and Rogue were finally promoted.

"I'll say, and to think that last year was the year of the dragon slayer." stated Wakaba with a slightly scared expression as he thought back to the exams. Which were pretty similar to the previous ones, with the small change of the dragon slayers now actually competing in them. Meaning it was an extremely tough year for all of the other mages hoping to rise to the rank of S-Class.

"Where are those two trouble makers?" asked Macao as he looked around for their twin dragon slayers, which was what Sting was calling himself and Rogue whenever it was just the two of them.

"Probably out training, no doubt because of Master bribing them with some sort of secret if they did." answered Kagura as she gave Natsu a slight glare that he just laughed off. "Also it isn't fair to always lump Rogue in with Sting, who is usually the one getting into trouble." she stated while redirecting her glare at the older fire mage.

"Look at you, sticking up for a fellow unexpressive person." said Kei with a huge grin spread across her face. Hearing something like that from Kei when she first joined would have been next to impossible, but over the years since joining she's finally gotten quite comfortable with most of them. Mainly her surrogate sisters, the other S-Class mages and those that were pretty close to Natsu and his core group.

"I'm only making sure that he doesn't get a reputation that he doesn't deserve." she responded with an irritated huff.

"Did you bribe them into training harder while you're gone Salamander?" asked Cobra while still having that same grin.

"Yep, I told them that if I was okay with their progress when I got back I'd finally start explaining dragon force to them." he answered as everyone else's eyes shot open in shock.

"Really?" asked pretty much all of them together.

"Of course, do you really think I would lie to those two about something like that?" he asked, only for most of them to instantly look away from him and trying to act casual. "Oh come on, I'm not that bad with those two to mess with them about something as serious as that!" he shouted out.

"I know you wouldn't Honey." stated Ultear as she smiled at him, which caused the two of them to share another quick kiss. This caused Liza to roll her eyes at them, since she could no longer make any sort of noise of disgust unless she was okay with being tickled by the two of them.

"And that my Dear is why you're my one and only." he said while looking at her lovingly in the eyes.

"Aren't you supposed to leave?" asked Jet, before he shook hands with the dragon slayer, which then turned into a quick hug.

"You're correct about that Jet." said Natsu with a sad smile washing over his face. "But I think I still have time to properly say goodbye to everyone that came to see me off." he finished with one of his toothy grins. Before he went about doing just that, which usually consisted with a quick hug and a few parting words that were sometimes what he thought they could work on while he was away.

Afterwards he gave Ultear and the still present kids of his a final goodbye before boarding the ship and waving farewell to them from the deck. And as the boat got farther away from the docks Natsu couldn't help but think how fortunate it was for Emperor Spriggan to request for him at this time of the year. Because if it was within the past few months before now, he definitely wouldn't feel as okay as he does right now since that is definitely the busy time for his guild.

With important things such as the Fantasia Festival going on in their guild, that has only kept growing in size over the past few years. It was probably happening because of Magnolia also growing in population by a significant amount over the last few years as well. Or it might be because of Fairy Tail doing more than just their beauty contest and parade, something that the town was glad didn't stop after the incident with Raven Tail last year.

There was also the Grand Magic Games taking place during those months, an event that he suggested they pull out from. But after making that suggestion to the guild he was met by a shockingly vocal disapproval, which meant that they still participated in them. And just like all of the previous years, they won hands down since it was battled themed. So Natsu being the considerate person that he was decided that the team would consist of all the dragon slayers with Kagura and Kei rounding them off. Needless to say, they mopped the floor with their competition which wasn't too hard since most of the other guilds didn't have any of their big names competing for some reason.

Natsu couldn't help but start chuckling after he thought back to his meeting with the GMG officials afterwards. During that meeting they tried to make sure that he understood that all of the new rules that they were making weren't intended to only harm Fairy Tail. And that they are supposed to make the games fairer and more enjoyable for the rest of Fiore to watch. After making that evidently clear to him they informed him that next year each guild would only be able to have at most two dragon slayers on their team.

Honestly he wasn't upset by that rule and only had all of them competing because they took out a pack of drakes the week before. Meaning the likelihood of another group showing up during the games was extremely slim, which he was relieved when that was proven to be correct. As he watched the harbor of Hargeon fade into the distance he couldn't help the frown and look of concern that came over his visage as he recalled what else took a lot of his time during the Grand Magic Games.

His investigation into whatever was slowly syphoning away magic from all of the gathered mages only became more troubling when he ran into a certain person that the rest of the country thought was dead. Apparently while Jellal was in the area, tracking down a lead on a fairly well known dark mage, he felt the traces of Zeref's magic. And upon further investigation the heavenly body mage came to the conclusion that it was coming from the Grand Magic Games. That wasn't even the end of the bad news in Natsu's opinion; he and Jellal then came to the conclusion that in some way shape or form the Kingdom was involved. How involved they are is still up in the air, if at all, but both of them had a feeling that they were. So sadly they still didn't have any sort of proof that anything fishy was even going on.

But so long as Fairy Tail was competing in the Grand Magic Games, Natsu was going to be keeping a vigilant eye out for anything he thought was off. And this year he was going to let a few select members in on his suspicions to help make it easier on him. Hopefully it would also yield more results than any of his solo investigations ever did.

The Grand Magic Games weren't even the last of the things that he had to worry about in the second half of the year. There was also the triplet's first birthday, which wasn't something he had to worry about and was actually as far from it as you could get. But it was definitely something that he intended to never miss if he ever had a say in it. That only made him once again thankful that Emperor Spriggan requested that he come at the beginning of the next year.

And as always Fairy Tail finished out the year of X788 with their S-Class exams, which as Wakaba put it, it was the year of the dragon slayer since three of them made it through. Something that Natsu was incredibly proud of, because not only did it prove that Sting and Rogue were maturing. But it also proved that the Council was no longer viewing Cobra as a dark mage under his watch, meaning he was now able to go on missions that would allow him to grow in ways you can't get just from training.

Overall Natsu couldn't help but be proud of what Fairy Tail accomplished this year, granted they had their fair share of hardships and losses. But they did what every Fairy Tail mage does when that happens, and that was to pick themselves back up and fight even harder than before. It has been one of the things he's always admired about Fairy Tail and was slightly scared that it would be lost once he became the guild Master. Although he can now see that it's something that doesn't come just from the guild Master, but comes from all of the members in the guild.

"When are you guys coming back?" he asked out loud as he gazed out over vast ocean they were currently sailing on. "You'd be proud of what they've been able to accomplish on their own." he thought with a proud grin on display. Thinking about how much certain members have changed over the past four years that the Tenrou Group has been gone.

"Do you need anything Ambassador Dragneel?" asked a soldier wearing the uniform of the Alvarez Empire as he came up behind the dragon slayer. Effectively breaking Natsu out of his thoughts that were more than likely going to go back to the good old days when he almost had zero responsibilities other than fighting anyone that threatened his family and loved ones.

"No thank you, but I do have one question." he answered while turning around to look at the solider roughly around his age. "Why am I not feeling the least bit queasy while on this ship?" he asked while giving the man an inquisitive look.

"That would be because the Emperor had this ship specifically designed for you and your condition in mind." replied the soldier with a little grin.

"And how exactly did he accomplish that?" he asked in the hopes of finding out so his fellow dragon slayers didn't have to suffer any more than they had to.

"Sorry Ambassador Dragneel, I have no idea how they did it but I'm sure I can find someone that can." responded the soldier before giving him a quick salute and taking off to do just that. This of course caused Natsu to become a little suspicious since it seemed as if everyone on the ship was ordered to treat him as royalty. That didn't seem to align with how he thought a country would treat an Ambassador of the country they were almost at war with.

"I guess I'll just have to make sure I keep up my guard." he thought to himself as he went back to admiring the ocean without the fear of getting nauseous.

 **January 17th at Fairy Tail:**

"Isn't today the day when Master Dragneel will finally reach their capital?" asked Macao out loud from the second level of the guildhall.

"According to the schedule that we were sent it should be." answered Wakaba from the bar in the center of the main floor.

"Which they seem to be following to a T." stated Ultear as she came down from their private quarters in the fourth and fifth levels of the guild.

"And how in the world do you know that?" asked Laki from a table that had the rest of Team Shadow Gear.

"Because Natsu calls her every day, usually sometime around noon our time." answered Meredy with a thoughtful expression as she tapped her chin with her index finger. "It's probably early morning for him as he continues on his trip west." she finished with a bright smile.

"Doesn't she look so much better now than she did when he first left." teased Macao, only to let out a yelp before falling out of sight.

"You really shouldn't tease someone that is stronger than you Macao, especially when she doesn't have a problem with letting you know that." reminded Ultear as she went to her usual spot at the bar, which lacked its usual warmth because of a certain dragon slayer not being there.

"I'll try and keep that in mind." he mumbled as he pulled himself up just in time to see Meredy sticking her tongue out at him.

"So why are we just now finding out that you've been in communication with him?" asked Wakaba as he twirled on his stool so he could look at the time mage sitting a few stools down from him.

"Because I thought that it should have been obvious that he'd remain in contact with me during his trip." she replied before thanking Kinana for a drink she just served her. "So I really didn't see any need to tell you all about it." she finished after taking a quick drink.

"She's not wrong about that." stated Laki while nodding her head in agreement.

"But this is Natsu we're talking about here, it took him forever to realize that she was into him." argued Jet, causing a few others to nod their heads in agreement.

"Did you ever think that he might just be making sure that he felt the same way about her?" asked Droy while resting his head on his arms that were resting on the table. "I mean he's not like the rest of us, and by that I'm referring to the whole dragon slayer thing." he quickly explained as Ultear looked at him with a blank expression.

"That does make them a little hesitant to start anything." commented Kinana with a slight frown as she continued to serve some of the other members.

"Don't worry Kinana, he'll eventually get there." assured Ultear, knowing how frustrating it could be to date a dragon slayer. Who all seemed to initially try and stay away from any sort of romantic relationship if possible, but if they were all like Natsu. Then once they do finally go down that path, it wouldn't be too long before they were mates for life. Kinana smiled back at her, knowing that she was more than likely right, and she has already made great strides in tearing down the walls that Eric constructed around himself.

"As fun as it is to talk about dragon slayers every day of the week, you all do realize that there are other things to talk about." stated Jet as he rolled his eyes.

"Like that girl from Mermaid Heel we met on our last job?" asked Laki in a cheery tone as she wiggled her eyebrows at the speedster. Who started to change a few different shades of red almost as fast as he could run, which is truly saying something.

"No! But at least it's not dragon slayer related." he stuttered out while trying to hide his blush from all of them.

"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?" asked Miia as she entered the guildhall with Akiro resting on her right shoulder and Cobra to the left of her.

"He's probably just getting jealous that we're always getting all of the attention." answered Cobra while grinning at the now slightly pissed off speedster.

"As if Cobra, and besides, what exactly am I supposed to be jealous of?" he asked with an eyebrow raised. "Yeah your enhanced senses come in handy every now and then, but other than that you all have a natural ability to take a beating and not stay down. After that you're all not that different from any other mage out there."

"Are you willing to put your money where your mouth is Zippy?" asked Cobra as his grin only grew after seeing Jet twitch at hearing that nickname. "Because that last job wasn't even close to how they advertised it."

"Oh it's so on Cobra, you and me out back right now." declared Jet as he stood up from the table.

"Fine by me Zippy, I'll hear every move just like the last time we sparred." replied the poison dragon slayer as he got face to face with the orange haired mage.

"We'll see about that, just because you can hear it coming doesn't mean you'll be able to dodge it." said Jet as the two headed towards the courtyard that already had a few members in it.

"Those two usually aren't at each other's throats like that." pointed out Meredy as she watched the two leave with a concerned look on her face.

"Don't worry Meredy, they're both only doing that since neither of them can spar with Natsu." replied Ultear as she started to read the most recent Sorcerer's Weekly.

"Fine… Did you put the triplets down for a nap?" she asked, curious as to where they were since she wasn't asked to look after one of them right now.

"Yes, but we'll have to wait and see how long that lasts." answered the mother while shaking her head at how much extra work came from having just a single kid, yet she was luckily enough to have triplets. "And Liza is currently training with Sting and Rogue." she finished, glad that Meredy and Liza were both old enough to actually help with the never ending work.

"And you're actually fine with that?" asked Macao as images of the blonde haired boy flashed before his eyes, most of them consisting of him accidentally destroying something in a guild wide brawl. Or him doing the same thing while trying to come up with a new attack, but for some reason he sometimes had pink hair in the images as well.

"Of course I am, those two see Liza as their younger sister and would never let anything bad happen to her. Unfortunately the same thing can't be said about Romeo, who also happens to be training with them as we speak." she answered with a sly grin as a horrified look came over his face.

"Please tell me that you're joking?" he asked, with it probably being more accurate to say he begged.

"Come on CFA Macao, Romeo is almost at your level already." snickered Wakaba, needing to actually set down his pipe before he dropped it by accident. "If he keeps training under Master Dragneel and those two he'll definitely surpass you by the end of this year." he finished with a shit eating grin being sent his friend's way.

"Thanks for reminding me Financial Advisor Wakaba." he replied, stressing the fact that he wasn't chief financial advisor. "Meaning that he's also surpassing you since we're both at the same level, and since he's my son it kind of means I've beaten you once and for all." he finished with his own shit eating grin. This started a heated debate between the two senior mages of the guild, which quite frankly no one else cared about in the slightest.

"So it sounded like your mission didn't go too well." commented Laki as she took a stool next to Miia at the bar.

"Actually it went completely fine, Cobra's just mad that it wasn't a drake like they said it was in the request." replied the specter dragon slayer as she waved Kinana over to them.

"Then what was it?" asked Meredy now sitting on the countertop like she usually would.

"I think Cobra called it a Salamander, or maybe that was him just pretending he could take on Master Dragneel." she answered with a thoughtful expression.

"I really don't believe Eric would do something like that." stated Kinana as she passed the two of them the drinks that they ordered.

"What was the creature like?" asked Ultear, since she was no longer getting any enjoyment from watching Macao and Wakaba act like two kids arguing in a school yard.

"It was a large red lizard that could breathe fire." answered Akiro as he hopped off of Miia's shoulder and took a seat on the bar.

"Then Cobra was probably correct in it being a Salamander, which is what I can only assume inspired Natsu's old moniker." she answered while nodding her head in agreement at her own logic.

"Well it was nothing compared to fighting an actual drake." stated Miia while letting out a frustrated huff that blew her bangs out of her right eye for just a second.

"Don't tell me you're becoming more like those two and actually enjoy your fights with them?" asked Laki in disbelief.

"I don't know, it's really hard to explain." she replied as her face scrunched up in frustration. "A part of me knows that I shouldn't enjoy fighting them, because like Master Dragneel is always saying. Each fight with a drake is like walking on a razor's edge, where all it would take for us to die is a simple mistake." she said while running a hand through her hair. "But at the same time it's also when I'm feeling the most alive, it's as if my body is telling me this is what I was made to do." finished the only female dragon slayer of Fairy Tail, before dropping her head to the counter and letting out a long sigh.

"If you ask me, it kind of makes sense that you would feel that way." piped up Droy from his lone table. "I mean you were given a magic specifically designed to take on dragons. And since drakes are a close relative to them you're now starting to use your magic for its intended purpose."

"He's right Miia, you shouldn't feel down about getting some enjoyment out of doing your job." chimed in Akiro with a supportive smile sent to his partner.

"But how do I know if I'm enjoying it too much?" she asked back, not specifically to her Exceed partner but to the group in general.

"Have you talked to Natsu about this?" asked Meredy, since she didn't really have an answer for the confused girl.

"We somewhat discussed this topic after my first solo fight against one of them. But at the time I was kind of too excited to really listen to what he was trying to tell me." answered Miia with a slightly embarrassed look coming over her face.

"And you didn't think to ask him on any of your five different missions with him afterwards?" asked the resident wood make mage with a skeptical look.

"I tried to, but after just getting done fighting for your life you tend to forget problems like this." she replied, knowing that she definitely wasn't the only one to know what she meant by that. "Also, have you ever tried having a normal conversation with Master Dragneel while he's coated in blood? It's just so wrong." she said while shaking her head to get rid of the gruesome images that started to form.

"If it makes you feel any better, he actually doesn't really have an answer to this question since he keeps asking himself it every time he comes back." said Ultear with a somber expression. "So far the best thing he's come up with is that so long as you aren't actively seeking out these life or death battles with the drakes then you're still fine. And if you ever feel like you're getting close to that point, make sure you talk with one of us and we'll help you however we can." she finished with a warm and motherly smile.

"It does help, and I'll be sure to if that ever does happen." she replied with a warm smile of her own.

"But it won't since you're awesome!" cheered out Akiro, causing a few others to agree with him on that.

"Has he talked with you about getting a tattoo like he and Eric have?" asked Kinana, causing a few of them to look at her with shocked expressions. Since other than the dragon slayers, and more specifically Natsu, she was the next leading authority on all things dragon slayer related.

"I was confident that Cobra would've told you everything about that by now." stated Laki in a surprised tone.

"Well he hasn't, and I don't know if it's because he himself doesn't know. Or if Master Dragneel told him to keep it a secret from me, which is why I'm now asking Miia." replied the barmaid, who went back to watching the female dragon slayer. Waiting for her to answer the question, that would hopefully not end with the same results when she asked Eric so long ago.

"No he hasn't, I honestly thought it was some sort of membership thing." answered the only dragon slayer in the guild at the moment. "Like something you get after taking on a certain number of drakes."

"Maybe it is, but unfortunately you're just as clueless as the rest of us." said Kinana in a slightly sad tone as she went back to her barmaid duties.

"Even you don't know?" asked Miia as she turned to look at Ultear along with the rest of their group.

"I'm pretty sure that no matter what I say none of you are going to believe me." replied Ultear, only getting shakes of disagreement. "Well if you all must know, he actually hasn't told me either." she said, which only caused them to start looking at her skeptically. "But that might be because I haven't even tried to ask him yet."

"Why the hell not?" asked Kinana, slightly scaring a few of them since she practically yelled it.

"Because I know that he'll tell me when he's ready too. Ever since Meredy and I joined the guild he has never once done anything to make me question him, so why would I start now? And over a tattoo that might just be for something as simple as Miia just suggested." answered the time mage as she went back to thumbing through her magazine.

"Should I be concerned that I don't have one yet?" asked Miia as she looked to Meredy and Kinana.

"Nope, I just really want to know what the reason for them is." answered Kinana, once again back to her cheery self.

"Sting and Rogue still don't have them so it can't be that important. And they both are quite a few drakes higher than you so it probably doesn't have to do with anything like a tally." stated Meredy with a thoughtful expression, that she lost as soon as the doors opened up and Liza came in. Causing the pink haired girl to rush over to the little girl and make sure that she was all right after her training with the twin dragon slayers.

"She's going to become a really fine lady when she grows up." stated Macao as Wakaba nodded his head in agreement as they all watched Meredy fuss over Liza.

"I don't think it would be wise for you to say that while Natsu is around." replied Ultear as she gave the two older men a creepy grin. This caused the two of them to quickly realize how someone might misinterpret what they just said, which definitely wouldn't sit well with a different pink haired individual that some might consider too protective.

"You know darn well that we didn't mean it that way Ultear!" shouted out Wakaba as he pointed an accusing finger at her.

"True, but think of this as good practice for the two of you, because we all know that Natsu despite getting loads better than he once was, is someone that is quick to act." she said still grinning at them. "And if that were to happen then the two of you would probably already be in the infirmary by now. Well it's been fun everyone, but it seems like I'm needed back upstairs." she finished as a small gem on a bracelet of hers started to flash.

"We really need to start watching what we say." stated Macao with a blank look on his face.

"Oh come on you two, Master Dragneel would only just beat you up a little bit. Probably nothing more than what he used to do during a brawl." stated Laki with a knowing look on her face. One that turned into a huge grin as the other two had looks of horror come over their own as they recalled the pain the pink haired dragon slayer used to dish out. But that was from years ago, which is why they currently looked terrified.

"He could follow in Master Makarov's footsteps and start handing out THAT as a punishment." said Droy, only to then be tackled to the ground by the other two.

"Don't you dare ever suggest that while he or Ultear are around!" they both shouted at him as they glared down at the man they were holding down. "Do you understand Droy, because if he does start handing THAT out as punishment we're going to blame you."

"Yep, you'll never hear me mention it again." replied the plant mage in a timid voice. But no one could really blame him, since this was probably the most serious that any of them have seen the older generation in a long time.

"I still don't know what THAT is." said Meredy in sing song tone as she smiled at the three of them while carrying Liza with her.

"You don't want to." stated Macao as he slowly got off of Droy.

"No kidding, I still have nightmares about it and I wasn't even the one getting punished." said Wakaba as he helped Dory back up.

"Then who was?" asked the sensory mage, clearly interested in finding out what THAT was.

"We'll give you a single guess." said the fire mage as he signaled for Kinana to get him a beer.

"Was it daddy?" asked Liza in an excited tone, always happy to hear stories about her father.

"You got it right Darling, but what I'm more interested in is how your training went with those two trouble makers?" inquired Wakaba, hoping to distract the little girl before she starts asking more questions about THAT. If that were to happen, then there was no way that neither of her parents wouldn't hear about it.

"They're not trouble makers Uncle Wakaba." she stated with a slight pout that quickly changed into a smile as she then went on to tell them about her training with the two dragon slayers.

 **With Natsu as he was walking through Vistarion:**

"Everyone seems to be quite happy." stated Natsu as he observed the citizens go about their daily routines.

"And why wouldn't they be Ambassador Dragneel? Thanks to Emperor Spriggan, our country has one of the lowest crime rates in all of the surrounding areas. Not only that, but we've had an unprecedented time of peace and prosperity." replied his personal escort, that was ordered to give him a quick tour of the capital as soon as he arrived.

"One that he seems intent on ending." he mumbled back.

"What was that Ambassador Dragneel?" asked the escort as they came to a stop.

"It was nothing." he replied while giving a dismissive wave. "So when exactly am I going to meet Emperor Spriggan?" he asked back as politely as he could manage.

"After I've given you a tour of the whole city of course, which will also give you time to buy appropriate clothes for having an audience with his Excellence." answered the escort as they recommenced their tour of the capital.

"That will take the rest of the day." he stated in shock. "And what's wrong with what I've got on right now?" he quickly asked while glaring at the elderly man leading him through the city at a snail's pace.

"It'll take all of today and then some." replied the escort with a little chuckle. "And as for your attire, to put it simply, you need to change all of it before you meet his Excellence." he said with a stern expression.

"You've got to be kidding me, is this some sort of test of my patience?" he asked back only for the elderly man to chuckle and shake his head no. "Well before you get your hopes up, I won't be wearing anything other than what I've currently got on my back." declared the dragon slayer, expecting some sort of argument to spring up between him and the old man.

"So be it, as I'm sure you've already noticed, our sense of fashion isn't quite the same as you Fiorians." he responded while gesturing over to a curvaceous brunette that by Fiorian standards was barely wearing anything at all. And she wasn't the only one, it was just like the escort said, the citizens of Alvarez seemed to be more open and willing to show off their bodies.

"I'd say." mumbled Natsu, who wasn't bothered by it in the slightest but was more concerned about some of the other things he's noticed while on his trip to their capital. Things such as: key cities and other things that he was confident that you wouldn't openly advertise to a possible enemy. With the most concerning thing being the training grounds for some of their armies, and also them answering any question he could think of about their troops and their military operations.

"Are you uncomfortable with such displays of the body?" asked the elderly escort with an eyebrow raised and an amused grin as well.

"Far from it, you could say that I don't even really notice things like that because of the guild I grew up in." he answered with a little laugh, thinking back to how some of the girls would dress. A certain white haired barmaid and brunette came to mind more than the rest.

"That is quite surprising, from what I've heard about your country that isn't normal." stated the escort as he turned down a different street with Natsu at his side.

"Fairy Tail is pretty much known for not being normal." he said with a fond smile spreading across his lips.

"Oh, so you're actually from the same guild that his Excellence is so interested in." commented the elderly man before launching into a long winded explanation about the significance of the building they were currently standing in front of. And this was pretty much how the rest of the day continued on for the two of them, of course with the occasional stop to get something to eat.

 **In the palace's throne room:**

The inside of the throne room of such a powerful country was actually quite bland when all things were considered. It had the standard vaulted ceilings with banners containing the empire's sigil hanging down most of the pillars on each side of the path leading to the throne. A throne that also was a simple wooden one made out of a black wood and looked pretty comfortable with its white cushions.

Other than a few more different necessities, such as light lacrimas and the occasional guard standing at attention by one of the doors it was otherwise almost completely barren, giving it a cavernous feel that was only reinforced whenever someone spoke and their voice echoed off of the walls. But that was something that rarely happened in this room due to their ruler disappearing for prolonged periods of time to only show back up randomly and disappear a few days later.

Just like he did over three years ago and also did just last year, which was different than his previous times because he didn't disappear soon afterwards. No, Zeref has been seen by his higher officials on a somewhat regular basis with the meetings always being very short in length. But for the ones he was meeting with, this was a vast improvement to how things used to be.

Zeref was currently sitting on his throne with a pleased smirk spread across his face as he watched images of Natsu being led throughout the capital. Just from one look at the dragon slayer he could tell that he wasn't the same brash boy that charged at Acnologia a few years earlier. No, now he was a confident man, who looked capable of facing off against any challenge life might throw his way and coming out on top. Which was something that could actually be said about his old self, but now Zeref could tell that the dragon slayer wouldn't instantly resort to his fists to achieve that.

"You're almost ready Natsu, just a few more years and I'm confident that you'll succeed where the rest of them have failed." said Zeref with a wishful look.

"Sorry your Majesty, but I believe you are putting too much faith in him." replied Invel Yura as he made his way towards the throne. Invel looked like a pretty average person, with his white hair that he had in a ponytail that he let hang on the right side of his face. He wore glasses that gave him a strict look which was only strengthened by the rest of his attire that he kept in pristine condition and always in place. His attire consisted of dark dress pants, a white collared dress shirt, blue tie, and a trench coat to cap it all off.

"And what makes you think that Invel?" he asked back as his expression changed into a blank one.

"My first reason would be that he's loyal to a fault and would never betray that guild of his and join us." replied the bespectacled man as he continued on his way towards the throne.

"I never believed that he would." he responded to the shock of the only other person in the room except for a few guards.

"If that is indeed the case, then do you mind if I ask a simple question?" inquired Invel, waiting for Zeref to give him a nod before he continued. "Why have we been showing him so much of how our country works, and more importantly our military strength?"

"I want to see what he'll do in preparation for the inevitable conflict that will arise between our two nations." he answered with a smirk as he went back to watching Natsu.

"Is that really a wise decision your Majesty? I know that at the moment we easily surpass Fiore's armed forces once Etherion and Face have been dealt with. But something like that can definitely change in the years it will take us to no longer fear their Council's weapons." stated Invel as he stood at the base of the steps that led up to the throne.

"You already know what I hope to achieve by the end of this little game of mine." said Zeref as he looked back at the white haired man. "And how I see it, all this will do is make it more interesting and possibly give you and the other Spriggans an actual fight. So yes, I do believe that this is a wise decision or do you still feel like questioning my methods?" he asked in a deadly tone as he looked at the man with displeasure.

"No your Majesty, I'll make sure that everything goes according to your will." replied Invel as he did a quick bow and then proceeded to start leaving the room.

"See that you do Invel, because as I'm sure you're already aware of...Everyone is replaceable to me, all except for him." he said as he went back to watching the dragon slayer suffer from boredom.

"Yes your Majesty." said Invel as he left the throne room with a slight grimace on his visage.

 **Back with Natsu as the day was coming to a close:**

"I think that about wraps it up for today." said the elderly escort while giving Natsu a lopsided grin.

"It's about time for crying out loud." he replied as he dropped into a comfy chair that was to the side of his room. "I really don't understand how you enjoy doing that for a living."

"Someone as young as yourself wouldn't understand, once you get older you'll hopefully learn to value history as much as I do. It is probably the best teacher you could ever ask for." responded the escort before giving a quick bow and exiting the room, leaving Natsu all alone for the first time since they met up with each other.

"That's something I can actually agree with you on." he said to himself as he got out his book and started to read it. Back when Makarov was the Guild Master of Fairy Tail he probably would have argued that Igneel was the best teacher ever. But he's changed a lot since then, and now he knows better and was also lucky enough to get his hands on the book he was currently reading which is pretty much contains the history on anything draconic.

So for the next few hours he diligently read his book, one of the few positive aspects of having to go on this diplomatic mission of his. Because thanks to how much traveling he's had to do he's finally almost gotten to the end of it. But that by no means meant he knew everything that the book had to offer for him, he assumed that it would at least take three more reads. And even then he still might not have everything mastered, but luckily he knew that after the first read it would be easier.

And just as he was about to call it a night there was a knock at his door. So with a tired sigh he got up and headed towards his door to see what was going on. "What can I do for you?" he asked while opening up his door, only for his eyes to shoot open in shock. Standing in his doorway was a red headed woman that eerily reminded him of Erza. It wasn't because of the two of them having similar features other than their hair, no it was because both women gave off an aura of power. Power that from one glance you could tell that they both worked night and day to obtain.

"So you're the man that his Majesty is so worked up over." she stated while looking over his body at an agonizingly slow pace.

"I wouldn't know since I've still yet to see him." replied Natsu as he too inspected the person he was now in front of. The woman's outfit was quite revealing and left nothing to the imagination, letting everyone see her voluptuous figure. If he had to describe her outfit as fast as possible, it would be a scantily clad version of your average witch or at least what they were described as wearing in the stories he read to Liza.

"There's something off about you." she stated, still looking at him with an inquisitive expression on her face.

"Says the woman that randomly knocks on my door and keeps staring at me." he responded before turning around and motioning for her to come in.

"You've got me there, Ambassador Dragneel. But isn't it a little straightforward to beckon me into your room like this, especially if you're happily married like I've heard? Or could it be that things aren't going very well with Mrs. Dragneel?" she asked with a little grin as she came into the room and sat down in one of the two chairs.

And during those few seconds she couldn't see his expression since he had his back to her, but as soon as she sat down he did the same in the chair across from hers. So she was slightly startled when she came face to face with him slightly snarling at her, letting her see his fangs glistening in the low light of his room. But what shocked her even more was that his magic power shot through the roof, now easily ten times what she detected from him just moments ago.

"Things are completely fine with my wife, and there is nothing wrong with us having a little discussion like this because I would never betray her like that. But as a fair warning, if you keep insinuating that I would then I really don't care who the hell you are and we'll be forced to take this outside." he said through gritted teeth.

"That sounds even better, but I've got a feeling that you would reconsider that once I introduce myself." she replied with a smirk slowly forming over her features.

"Then you'd be dead wrong, because even if you are related to Emperor Spriggan himself it wouldn't stop me from tearing into you. I don't care what you think or even say about me, but I will never let anyone slander my mate. Which is exactly what you did when suggesting that I would not be faithful to her." he said no longer clenching his teeth together, but still looking extremely pissed off.

"Interesting, are all dragon slayers this faithful or is it just you?" she asked back after letting out a little laugh.

"Does it really matter?" inquired Natsu in a slightly less hostile tone than before, seeing that this woman was clearly trying to push his buttons and was successful on her first try.

"I guess it doesn't Ambassador Dragneel, and it's Irene Belserion or you might have heard of me as the Scarlet Despair." said Irene while tossing both of her braids behind her back, giving the dragon slayer a better view of her cleavage.

"You can just call me Natsu or Salamander if you want since I'm still not used to this whole ambassador thing." he replied, only for Irene to let out an amused giggle which caused him to raise an eyebrow at her.

"Sorry Natsu, I just find it amusing that both of our monikers aren't very creative seeing as how I have scarlet hair and you are known for your fire magic." she stated with a little smirk.

"I would ask you how you got the despair part, but judging from your magic I can only assume that is what most of your enemies feel as they face off against you." he said as he got up to go and grab a pitcher of water and two glasses.

"But you don't seem affected by it in the slightest, why is that?" she asked as he handed her a glass of water and proceeded to pour one for himself.

"Let's just say I've gone up against someone else that has truly earned the title of The Harbinger of Despair. So in comparison you're nothing I can't handle." he answered as he took his seat and drank some of the water.

"So are you trying to say that you actually believe that you could take me on by yourself?" she asked while trying to prevent a scowl from coming over her face.

"Nope, actually I'm fairly certain that you'd win in a fight right now if we just went by our magic powers alone. But after charging into a battle that really should have resulted in my death, going into one where the odds of me winning is around thirty percent is not bad by comparison." he explained, resulting in an uneasy quiet to take over the room for the next two minutes.

A silence that was interrupted by the scarlet haired woman breaking into laughter that continued on for the next two minutes. If anyone from the Alvarez Empire had been spying on the two throughout all of this, at this point they would have been confident that the Irene in the room with him was an imposter. And the simple reason for that was because never had she laughed like she was right now, which was her honest to goodness real laughter.

"You are a very interesting person Natsu, I can see more than one reason why his Majesty is keeping a keen eye on you." she finally said after calming down.

"Thanks." he replied with a confused expression.

"No, thank you, I think I'll be on my way now that I've seen you for myself." said Irene as she got up and headed for the door.

"Just like that?" he asked still sporting a confused look.

"Yes, just like that, thanks for the chat and the water." she replied before leaving him alone in his room.

"But you didn't even drink it." he responded as he looked at the untouched glass of water on the table next to her chair. So with a tired sigh he went to his bed, now slightly confused at what exactly just happened but just brushed it off as just another unique meeting he seems to always have with people.

 **January 18th, just outside of the throne room a little after 2 PM:**

"And here Ambassador Dragneel is his Majesty's throne room." said the elderly escort with a bright smile spread across his lips.

"Does this mean I finally get to meet him?" he asked, half expecting to be told that there was still a few more hours left of the palace tour he was currently on.

"Yes, it would seem that this is where we finally part ways." replied the escort before giving a quick bow and hobbling down the hallway. Leaving Natsu all by himself outside of the throne room, without so much as the slightest hint at what he was supposed to do now.

"Well here goes nothing." he mumbled to himself before pushing open the two doors and strolling right on in.

"You're about a full fifteen minutes faster than everyone else that was put into the same situation." said Zeref from his throne with a sly grin on display, only for the dragon slayer to have a confused expression come over his face. "Most people are too nervous or scared to just come waltzing in on their own like you just did." he explained while still grinning at the pink haired man coming towards him.

"I can understand that I guess, but it also seems kind of stupid at the same time to me." he replied while scratching the back of his head with his right hand and having a slightly nervous expression wash away his confused one. Only for it to come back when he started to hear laughter coming from the Emperor of the incredibly powerful nation that he was currently in.

"You are one of a kind Natsu Dragneel, and if you wouldn't mind. Could we possibly put aside all of the titles and just talk with each other like two normal people?" asked Zeref after he stopped his little fit of laughter.

"Sure, but don't we have a few things to discuss that will make that request of yours a little difficult?" he asked back while grinning at the black haired man. Who he was slightly surprised to see sitting on the throne for a few reasons, the main one being how young he was since as far as Natsu knew they've only ever had one Emperor.

"Indeed, but until then let's try to treat each other as equals." replied the Emperor as he got off of his throne and started to head down the stairs to meet his guest at the bottom of them.

"I think I can manage that." stated Natsu with a toothy grin as he held his hand out. A move that he could tell Emperor Spriggan was at first hesitant to reciprocate, but that only lasted for a brief second before the two were shaking hands.

"Thank you, and as I'm sure you've learned since becoming the Master of your guild. It's sometimes hard to find someone that won't treat you differently than they normally would have without your title." he said while motioning for the dragon slayer to follow him.

"I have, but luckily for me, I only really run into that with people who don't know me." replied Natsu as he fell into step with the Emperor, who he couldn't help but start to like because of his unorthodox behavior.

"Then you are truly fortunate Natsu, I myself only have that kind of luxury with my Spriggan 12. All of whom I would love to introduce you to, but a lass they are out either doing a job for me or taking some well-deserved rest." he commented with a smile spreading across his lips. "But from what I've heard you had the pleasure of meeting one of the top three, the Scarlet Despair." he finished with a little smirk springing up.

"That I did, and she is definitely not a woman to be trifled with." stated Natsu as he shook his head at the memories of the strange woman.

"No she is not, but it appears you made quite the impression on her. I can't remember the last time I saw her smile like she did before she went back to her previous engagement." he commented as he led them to a balcony that looked out over the entire capital.

"Glad I could brighten her day or night I guess." mumbled Natsu, not really knowing how to respond to that.

"That's just one of your many gifts Natsu, a gift that most would over look and not even realize how important it is." said the Emperor as he rested his elbows on the railing and clasping his hand together for his chin to rest on. "Being able to bring joy and happiness to those around you has always been out of my reach despite however hard I try to obtain it. So please promise me that you won't take it for granted Natsu." he said while turning to look over at the dragon slayer.

"I won't, and you just made it sound like you know a lot more about me, why is that if you don't mind me asking?" inquired the pink haired mage as he looked back at the man to his right.

"For some unknown reason I grew intrigued once the rumors of the ferocious Salamander made their way here. And it only grew as I looked into you and all of your accomplishments, which were initially quite frankly hard to come by thanks to that Council of yours." answered Zeref as he went back to looking out over the city. "But unfortunately as with most things in life, if you throw enough jewels at them you will eventually get what you were after. And in my case that was getting to know the man that has already accomplished more than most people do in their entire life." he finished with a fond smile as he continued to watch the city below them.

"Says the man that runs a whole country." he mumbled just loud enough for the Emperor to hear him, causing said man to break into a little chuckle.

"You've got me there I'm afraid, so I guess what I was trying to say is that I can see a little of myself in you." stated Zeref as he quickly glanced over at Natsu, who at the moment was watching some of the citizens go about their business.

"Sorry but I'm going to have to disagree with you on that, since I don't think I could ever see myself running a country like you're doing." he refuted with a small grin spreading across his lips.

"I bet you would've said the same thing about becoming the guild Master of Fairy Tail a few years ago. But look at you now, not only are you keeping it as the number one guild in your country and from what I've heard, you've been helping it grow in more ways than just one." replied Zeref while giving a knowing grin to the shocked dragon slayer.

"How in the world do you know about that, most of my own guild doesn't even know about those plans of mine yet?" he asked while now looking at the black haired man skeptically.

"As I've said before Natsu, if you have enough jewels most problems can be washed away." answered Zeref with a little chuckle. "But I hope you do realize that if I already know about your plans, then it's quite reasonable to assume that so do others. Such as that Council, that for some reason seems to constantly be causing you and your guild problems."

"Don't get me started on those old fools." stated Natsu as a small scowl came over his face. "Actually they mean well most of the time, but unfortunately a good portion of them are only concerned about their titles and what power comes with them. But as far as I can tell, this time they are trying to fix that about themselves. And me currently being here is proof of that." he finished with a slight grin.

"How so?" he asked, honestly interested in finding out what the dragon slayer was currently thinking.

"If it was the old Council, I'm fairly sure that they would have risked going to war with your country rather than admitting that they needed help from their most destructive guild." answered Natsu with a little chuckle.

"It sounds like you've learned how to start working with them, something that you definitely needed to learn if you intend to stay in Fiore." stated Zeref, causing Natsu to raise an eyebrow at him questioningly.

"Where else would I go?" he asked clearly still a little confused.

"You and the rest of your guild could move here, where rather than being constantly held back by moronic rules and regulations. You'd all be allowed to reach your full potential, and more importantly you'd be on the winning side of the conflict that is eventually going to arise between Fiore and Alvarez." suggested Zeref with a hopeful look sent Natsu's way, even though he knew the man's answer before he even asked.

"Are you suggesting that my guild and I defect from Fiore?" he asked while his head was still turned away from the ruler of the country he currently was residing in.

"Yes." was Zeref's simple reply.

"It's a very tempting offer, but unfortunately I'm going to have to decline for various reasons." he replied while still not turning to look at the other man next to him.

"Can I ask you why not?" asked Zeref with an inquisitive look on his visage.

"For one Fiore has always been my home and I don't know if I could just up and leave it like that, and I'm fairly confident that most of my guild would feel the same way. Which is actually probably the main reason I could never leave Fiore, or to be more precise, ever leave Fairy Tail. And that is because they're my family and nothing in the entire world is more important to me than them, which also includes the ones that are still missing. So to sum it up, I won't, actually I can't leave Fiore for a reason as simple as not having to deal with the Council anymore." he explained as he straightened up and was no longer leaning against the railing.

"But what about if it would save you and guild?" Zeref asked once again having a really good idea how his guest would respond to that.

"If I was confident that it would, then of course I would, but that isn't the case right now." answered Natsu as he finally turned to look at Zeref, allowing him to see the look of pure rage and determination in his eyes. "As for this conflict that you are so sure of arising between our two countries, with your side then eventually winning. You should know that there was no way I would ever be fine with just sitting back and letting you destroy a whole country for whatever reasons you've come up with to justify it." he declared while glaring at the man he still doesn't know is the Black Mage Zeref.

"I won't be the only one standing in your way Emperor Spriggan if it ever comes to war, you'll be up against all of Fairy Tail as well. And if you've been looking into my history as good as you claim you have, then you should know that those who make an enemy of Fairy Tail all end up the same." he finished while not breaking eye contact with the black haired mage next to him.

"I expected your response to be something like that, if it hadn't been, then you wouldn't have been the man that I thought you were." replied Zeref with a little chuckle as he looked away from Natsu. "I hope that we can continue to be civil with each other, since most of what we just discussed is hypothetical. And it would really be a shame if I could no longer talk with one of the few people that just sees me as another human being." he said with a sad smile making its way over his face.

"My whole purpose of being here was to try and ensure that our countries remain at peace with each other. So if I couldn't remain civil then I would be doing a terrible job, wouldn't I?" he asked back with a little grin that let his fangs stick out.

"That is for you to decide, because I've seen other diplomats storm out for a lot less." stated Zeref as he gave Natsu a quick grin back.

"Well as I've been told my whole life, I'm not like most people." he replied while stretching out. "As fun as it is to look out over your beautiful city, would you mind if we continued your conversation while we walked?" he asked while looking at the young ruler that was still leaning against the railing.

"I see no harm in that, but I feel the need to stress that sometime in the near future there will be a war between our nations no matter what you try to do to prevent it." he replied as he got off of the railing and headed towards the door with Natsu at his side.

"I would have thought that you knew a Fairy Tail's mage specialty is doing the impossible." pointed out Natsu while sporting one of his usual grins.

"I thought it was causing mass property damage on even the simplest of jobs." he responded in an amused tone as he led them into his palace. Enjoying the tired sigh that came out of his pink haired companion, who finally realized why Makarov was always yelling at him when he was younger.

"Sadly it's probably both, either way I really don't see any reason for us to start acting differently when we aren't enemies yet. Or am I mistaken about that and should I really be looking for the fastest way out of here rather than talking to you like I am?" asked the dragon slayer with the same grin as before.

"No you're not Natsu, and I would really love to be proven wrong about all of this." he responded once again letting out a little chuckle.

"Only time will tell." stated Natsu with a serious expression coming over his face. "But hopefully that will be a few years away at least." he continued to say while looking over at Zeref.

"That it will, but how many exactly is something that even I don't know." he replied to the unasked question, while thinking at the same time that he hoped it would be long enough for Natsu to get where he needed to be.

"Good, so I don't really know how to say this so I'm just going to come out and ask you straight out. Have you had to deal with drakes for the past few years, and if so how exactly are you doing it?" asked Natsu as he came to a stop in a random hall that they were walking through. But the response that he got was definitely not what he was expecting, which was Zeref once again breaking out into laughter.

"Yes we have, and I'd be more than happy to tell you." answered Zeref while the two of them started to walk again. The rest of the day consisted of the two of them casually talking to each other, which without either of them really trying to got it so that they started to learn a few things about each other that they probably wouldn't have otherwise.

 **End of the Chapter**

 **Thanks for reading and I really hope that you enjoyed it, even though this chapter and the last one were mainly setting up a few things for later ones. Such as the next one that as of right now should have a fair amount of fighting and focus on characters other than Natsu, which some may like while others do not. But as I'm sure a lot of you already realize I'm a huge fan of him and can't help but make him the focus in all of my stories. Well I guess that's all I really have to say in these notes of mine, so as always feel free to drop a review or PM and I'll try to respond as soon as I can.**

 **Oh and if you would like me to update faster or possibly start a new story I have information about that on my profile page.**

 **Until the next Chapter**

 **Digem Out!**


	36. Only The Beginning

Ch 36: Only The Beginning

 **January 28th, X789, two days before Natsu is supposed to return to Fairy Tail:**

During their guild Master's absence nothing really noteworthy happened, something that most people would see as a good sign. But considering that this was Fairy Tail it was actually seen as the exact opposite, especially for the dragon slayers who during the whole time never had to deal with even a single drake. Once again something that should have been celebrated, but instead put all of the dragon slayers on edge as they sat around the guild just waiting for one of their alarms to go off. That uneasiness quickly spread to the rest of the guild, which is why their guild hall was unnaturally quiet at the moment and even lacked the usual noises of members happily chatting with each other about their last job.

"I never thought that I would actually miss the sounds of idiots fighting each other just for the hell of it." Wakaba stated after taking a huge swig from the mug in his hand.

"Me too, even though having the guild this quiet rarely happens these days." Macao pointed out with a little grin. "Usually we have to listen to them training themselves to death before then going and bothering Master Dragneel to help them some more." he finished with a bigger grin as a few of the other members in the guild started to glare at the two of them.

"It seems that just saying his name actually made them even quieter." chuckled out his drinking buddy before quickly stopping midway through it when the guild doors were thrown open.

"Is Master Salamander back yet?" asked Sting as he frantically looked about the guild for his teacher.

"Of course not you dolt, he's not going to be back for another two days." Rogue replied as he came in after his partner while shaking his head at the same time. "Something that I know for a fact we've told you at least ten different times since yesterday. Also if he was here then you would have smelled him." he stated while rolling his eyes at the forgetfulness of his best friend.

"Oh yeah." Sting said with a little chuckle before dashing to the bar and ordering his usual.

"Actually he won't be back for at least another four days." chimed in Ultear as she came down from the upper levels of the guild hall. This of course caused the entire guild to look at her with an expectant look, all of them waiting for her to explain why they didn't know of this until now. But this didn't seem to affect the beautiful mother as she went about her business, which was heading to the bar and having a little chat with Kinana.

"Are you really going to just continue on with your normal routine after letting us know something as important as that?" shouted out a random member only to quickly dive for cover as said time mage looked at him with an intense glare.

"Come on Ultear, you've messed with them enough." Kinana giggled as she gave her fellow purple haired female a slight nudge to her side.

"Fine." she replied with a little smirk flashing across her face. "As I said before, Natsu won't be back until two days after his scheduled return. And that is because Emperor Spriggan asked him if he would mind spending some more time together to discuss a few more things." finished the time mage hoping that would be enough to satisfy the rest of her guild mates.

"What in the world could they possibly talk about that would take more than a day to cover?" asked Sting with a confused expression on display for all of them to see.

"You really are clueless sometimes." stated Rogue as he once again started to shake his head at his partner's way of thinking. A way of thinking that some of the older members couldn't help but be reminded about how their young guild master used to be exactly like.

"That's something we can all agree on, but I'm also a little curious what the two of them would actually talk about for an additional two days." chimed in Macao with a big grin sent the young dragon slayer's way.

"Hey, what in the hell do you mean by that old man?" shouted out Sting as he jumped from his stool and started to walk over to the fire mage.

"That you're clueless when it doesn't concern fighting or dealing with drakes." Wakaba answered with a grin of his own, which was pretty much the same expression for the rest of the guild excluding Sting of course since it was at his expense.

"Well if that's the case then why don't we settle this with a little fight?" suggested the upset dragon slayer which only caused a few random guild members to start snickering at them.

"I'd be more than happy to put you and your younger generation in their place." Macao replied while getting up from his stool and coming face to face with the blonde dragon slayer. Both of them staring down their soon to be opponent, just waiting for the other one to break away. "But unfortunately I'm going to have to pass." he finished with a tired sigh as he turned away from Sting and went back to his seat.

"You're nothing but talk old man." boasted the blonde while sporting an extremely smug grin. A grin that was gone the very next second when he felt the upset aura of his Master's mate behind him, who also just so happened to be one of the few people in the guild that he was actually afraid of.

"Usually I'd agree with you on that Sting, but today is a different story since I know Macao realized how upset I would be if the triplets were awoken from their nap. A nap that I just spent the last hour trying to get all of them to take together." she said while giving the poor dragon slayer a sweet smile that all of them knew meant the exact opposite for anyone that set her off.

"Thanks I guess." mumbled Macao with a chuckling Wakaba hanging from his shoulder so he wouldn't fall off his seat.

"No need to thank me Macao, when actually I should be the one to thank you for not starting a stupid brawl." she replied while giving him a quick smile. "As for your earlier question, from what he's told me the two of them have discussed in great detail the whole drake situation. To things as mundane as what it was like when they were both younger and didn't have their current positions." she said loud enough for the rest of the guild to hear her.

"Is that really something he should be talking about with the leader of a country that might eventually become our enemy?" asked Laki as she and the rest of Shadow Gear made their way to the bar. And they weren't the only ones to make their way over to the bar, after they sat down it took only another minute for the rest of the stools to be occupied by other members wanting to listen in on their current conversation.

"I said something similar to him, but he assured me that I didn't really need to be worried about that because apparently Emperor Spriggan already knew most of it." she replied, which only caused most of the guild members to have confused expressions come over their visages.

"And how exactly did he know about Natsu's earlier days?" inquired Jet as a slight scowl made its way across his face.

"Or better yet, why did he know that stuff?" chimed in Droy while having a similar expression to his best friend.

"Both of those are very valid questions that he was able to give the answers to right away when I asked him the same thing." she said while having another one of her smirks that let the rest of them know she was enjoying all of them hanging onto her every word. "Apparently Emperor Spriggan has been a huge fan of the infamous Salamander that can't help but leave complete and utter destruction in his wake for quite some time now." she answered with little chuckle at the end.

"Really, and both of you are fine with an explanation like that?" Laki asked with a look of disbelief on her face.

"Of course she is." replied Meredy as she seemed to appear out of nowhere and was sitting in her usual spot on the counter of the bar. "She did something similar when Natsu started to make a name for himself all those years ago and I'm also pretty sure that is when she started to develop feelings for him." she finished in a sing song voice while giving Ultear a huge smile.

"That's not true!" blurted out Ultear as a small blush started to make itself known on her cheeks. "Back then I thought he'd make a great addition to our team given how destructive he can be." she finished while turning away from her smiling pink headed daughter.

"Sure, you just keep telling yourself that." she teased her mother to the enjoyment of the rest of the guild, mainly because seeing Ultear like this was almost completely unheard of.

"Okay I guess that sort of makes sense for you, but I honestly can't see Natsu being okay with that explanation. Especially after the whole Raven Tail incident and how protective he's been with everyone in the guild since then." stated the guild's resident wood make mage as she gestured to their new guildhall, which was now pretty much an impenetrable fortress.

"I honestly can't tell you why he's okay with it, but I do know for sure that he'd never knowingly do something that could potentially hurt those he sees as his family." the time mage replied while now looking completely composed like she usually did at most times of the day.

"We all know that, I would wager you honestly couldn't find a more loyal person than him if you spent your entire life time looking for one." said Nab with a proud grin as he spared a quick glance down at his artificial leg.

"I think he'd be the first one to argue against you on that one Nab." stated Alzack as he and his family made their way over to the group gathered at the bar.

"How so?" inquired the mage that used to be known for never taking a job and only just standing in front of the request board.

"He'd of course argue that every member of Fairy Tail would do the same, and I'd have to agree that he's correct about that. But at the same time I'd have to say that it's because he and Master Makarov both lead by example." Bisca answered for her husband as she took one of the stools offered to them and set Asuka onto her lap. Who seemed to be intently listening in on the conversation going on around her.

"I know that this might sound bad, but I honestly think that we were lucky he wasn't on Tenrou with the rest of them." Macao stated only for a round of shocked gasps to go off. "Now hear me out before you all jump down my throat." he shouted out quickly. "First off if he was with them then we wouldn't know that they are all still fine right now. Secondly we definitely wouldn't still be the number one guild in the country and have all the strong mages that we currently do." he finished while nodding and gesturing at some of the S-Class mages in their group. This was met by most of the guild remaining quiet as most of them couldn't help but then nod their heads in agreement.

"We should do something to show him how much we appreciate everything he's done for all of us." suggested Kei from the back of the group since she only came back to the guild with Kagura just a few minutes ago.

"That's a great idea." agreed a large group of the gathered mages of Fairy Tail.

"What in the world could we get him?" asked Sting while tapping his chin in thought as he looked up at the ceiling above him.

"If this was a few years ago I would have suggested getting him a woman." responded Macao with a little chuckle that he instantly lost when he caught the look Mrs. Dragneel was now giving him.

"Honestly he's never really wanted much as far as I can tell." chimed in Droy as he was also in a thoughtful position at the bar.

"Well besides everyone in the guild being fine and healthy that is." pointed out Jet as he turned to his other teammate in team Shadow Gear.

"Even if he did want something he could just buy it for himself; his partnership with Jude Heartfilia has definitely been extremely profitable for him." the wood make mage stated with a little smile, since she knew that most of the profit their guild Master made went straight to the guild or one of his secret projects. Projects that she quickly realized always seemed to be for the purpose of saving as many lives as possible.

"Master isn't the type of person to want something that can easily be bought with some jewels. He's someone that puts more value into something that he knows comes from the heart, or reminds him of a special event." stated Kagura, which caused a few members to rethink what they were going to suggest.

"What did Master Dragneel care about when he was younger?" asked Kei as she looked over at the older members of the guild.

"Getting into as many fights as he possibly could." replied Macao and Wakaba at the exact time, which caused a few of the members to chuckle at their memories of a pink headed boy getting his ass handed to him almost each and every day.

"Back then he really only cared about Happy and his scarf." Laki said with a fond smile as Droy and Jet nodded their heads in agreement.

"That's not true!" came an adorable shout from the third floor of the guild where a certain ashen haired girl was sticking her head through the railings. "Daddy cared about finding Igneel, it's how most of his stories start if he wasn't with his old team." Liza said with a cute little pout sent their way.

"I can't believe we forgot about something as important as that." Nab replied while running a hand through his hair and shaking his head in shame afterwards.

"I honestly can't think of the last time that he went off just to look for Igneel like he used to." stated Macao as a regretful look came washing over his face.

"Considering all of the responsibilities he now has, he doesn't really have the time to go out like he once did." said Ultear with a neutral expression since she's actually talked with him about this subject before. And instead of filling the rest of them in on that like discussion of theirs she wanted to sit back and see how all of this will play out.

"He's not only an extremely hands on guild Master, he's also a new father as well." commented Alzack, who knew firsthand how time consuming the latter one was for him at least. And he only had to deal with Asuka, while Natsu on the other hand had Liza and the triplets to take care of.

"And we can't forget about still always dealing with the drake attacks whenever they show up." stated his wife with a sad expression as she just now realized how many different directions their guild Master was being pulled at once.

"Then there's also all of those projects he's working on." pointed out Jet as he twirled one of the daggers the dragon slayer made for him.

"So should we give him the time to go and look for his father?" Kei inquired as she looked around the room.

"He wouldn't want that." came the gruff reply of Cobra from the other side of the room as he approached them. "And he definitely wouldn't want you ever doing that again." he said to the confusion of most of their group, but quickly realized what he meant when Liza fell into his outstretched arms.

"I would have been fine by myself Uncle Erik, and I've seen daddy do it plenty of times." Liza declared while giving the poison dragon slayer a cute little glare.

"Something I'm definitely going to have to talk to him about." was the displeased comment of said girl's mother at the bar who didn't seem too worried about what just transpired. "We can't have the triplets trying to emulate him when they're still so young."

"Why wouldn't Master want that?" asked Kagura with a slightly confused expression, since it sounded like it might be one of the few things he actually would want. But before Cobra could reply, the girl he just set down beat him to it.

"Because he doesn't need to anymore." she declared with a bright smile that confused most of the guild. "If grandpa Igneel does show up, Daddy will be the first one to know about it since most people will assume Grandpa Igneel is just a bigger drake." she finished with the same smile before racing over to the excited Asuka and starting to play with her.

"She's actually spot on with that." Cobra chuckled while watching Liza start playing with Asuka and her dolls.

"So if that idea is out, then what should we do?" Kei asked with a look of defeat coming over her once excited expression.

"The best thing you could do for Salamander…" he started to reply until he was cut off by their head barmaid. "Master Dragneel just wants all of us to stay safe, which is why he's always willing to train us so that we can take care of ourselves." she replied while slightly pushing Cobra into a chair and quickly sitting onto his lap before he could stop her. Not that he actually would, but Kinana learned that she needed to be a little more forceful in their relationship if she wanted it to progress faster than it already was.

"Well that's kind of boring." Jet mumbled with a frown now taking up residence on his face.

"Like hell it is!" Sting shouted out as he jumped onto the counter of the bar. "This just means we have more of a reason to do more jobs and train even harder! If we get strong enough Master Salamander will have more time to do what he wants to!" he declared before disappearing in a blinding white light.

"Looks like we've got more training to do today." stated Rogue as he sunk into his shadow on the floor and raced after his partner.

"That blonde haired brat is so going to get it." growled out Ultear as she quickly got up from her barstool and raced up the stairs to her family's private quarters. As soon as she was out of hearing range most of the guild burst into laughter, knowing that it was going to be quite the show for all of them once their white dragon slayer returned.

And just like that, Fairy Tail was once again back to how it should always be. A place were laughter and joy could be heard from the other side of Magnolia, and of course along with those noises they could also hear the sounds of some of the members training as hard as physically possible. But as with all good things in life, they eventually must come to an end and unfortunately in the case of Fairy Tail they didn't even have an entire day to enjoy this happy atmosphere that they just got back.

 **A Few Hours Later:**

"Where's Master Dragneel?" was the quiet question that caused the entire guild to go silent as they turned to their entrance where the question originated from. And to their shock the badly beaten form of Mystogan was struggling to keep himself upright as he leaned against the door frame.

"He's out of the country right now." replied a random member as the rest of them continued to look on in shock and confusion.

"Fuck." hissed out Mystogan before falling to his knees and spitting out enough blood that the wrappings around his face were almost completely red.

"Jet, take him to the infirmary and then go get Porlyusica as fast as you can!" Macao order as he took charge of the situation. "Warren please let Ultear know about our unexpected guest." he said while getting up and heading to the infirmary that Mystogan had already been whisked away to.

"Warren is still out on a job." Max pointed out with a concerned expression, while having a bad feeling that this was just the starting of something terrible.

"Shit, could you then go and let her know." he replied as he came to a stop at the doorway of the infirmary.

"Sure thing." replied the sand mage before hurriedly racing up the stairs to the upper levels.

"What should the rest of us do?" asked Laki as she looked over the nervous expressions that most of the other guild members currently had at the moment. All of them wondering what could have caused one of their members to return to them in such a state, and an S-Class mage at that.

"You all need to get ready." was his simple reply before he and Wakaba went into the infirmary to see if they could get some answers out of their unexpected guest.

"Ready for what exactly?" asked a random member.

"For war…" Kagura answered as she stood up from her stool at the bar. "I don't know if it's another drake attack or dark guild attacking us again, but either way we need to prepare. Which means we need to call back everyone out on a job and start preparing like we've practiced." she stated while heading up to the second level.

"Prepare for which one?" asked a different member in a nervous tone.

"For a drake attack of course." Cobra replied as he started to stretch. "If it turns out to be another dark guild trying to take us on then they're going to be in for quite the surprise." he finished with a grin that quite frankly scared a few of the newer members.

"This definitely would have been a whole lot easier if Warren was here." pointed out Nab before heading over to some of their newer members and telling them what to do.

"I've actually already called him and he'll be here in a few minutes." Kinana stated from behind the bar as she put away a communication lacrima. "He's also already getting into contact with all of our members that are still in town." she said with a small smile.

"Good, that will definitely make things a lot easier." commented Kagura from the second level before she started to bark out orders to the members that were still just standing around.

"We need to get you two upstairs for right now." stated Meredy as she looked down at Liza and Asuka since it was fairly clear that they weren't going to be able to keep playing together.

"I don't want to, I want to help." Liza declared as she looked up at her older sister defiantly.

"And the best way to do that is to protect your other siblings and Asuka since your daddy isn't here to." replied Bisca as she scooped up her confused daughter. "At least that is what I'm pretty sure your dad would want you to do for him if he was here."

"You can count on me!" Liza said before scampering upstairs to do the very important task she was just given.

"Thanks Bisca, I don't know if I would have been able to get her to do that." Meredy said with a slight frown as the mother and daughter duo passed her on their way upstairs.

"It was nothing Meredy, now shouldn't you be helping out." she responded with a little smirk as the pink haired woman before her had a look of shock flash over her before she hurried off to help out.

 **Meanwhile in the infirmary:**

"Has he explained himself yet?" asked Ultear as she came into the room with a sense of purpose.

"No he hasn't." Wakaba answered while taking a large inhale from his pipe that he now had in his mouth.

"He just keeps mumbling that he needs to warn Natsu." Macao explained with a worried expression as he stepped away from the side of the bed that has the wounded Mystogan laying in it. What neither of them was expecting to hear was a shocked gasp coming from Ultear as soon as she got a glimpse of his current state.

"Who did this to him?" she asked in a hushed tone as she hurried over to his side.

"We unfortunately don't know that either." replied their resident smoke mage as he opened one of the room's windows and sent his smoke out of it.

"Then you're all a bunch of idiots." came the harsh voice of the guild's unofficial healer as she stepped into the infirmary and instantly set to work on her new patient. "These type of wounds seem to be the only reason I'm ever called upon anymore." she said with a scowl prominently on display for them.

"I was really hoping that we were wrong about that assumption." he stated while sending another cloud of smoke out the window.

"It would definitely make sense that he'd be so dead set on warning Master Dragneel if he faced off against one of them." pointed out Macao as he headed towards the exit.

"It'd have to be more than just one of them to reduce him to his current state." Ultear commented in a saddened tone as she watched the healer start removing his tattered clothing.

"Would the two of you please go and make yourself actually useful elsewhere?" asked Porlyusica as she sent Wakaba a stern glare.

"Already planned on it." replied Macao as he slipped out the door he was already standing in the entryway of. Without so much as a word Wakaba followed after his friend to go help the rest of the guild prepare for incoming drakes.

"I should probably go and help as well." stated Ultear as she turned away to do just that.

"Hold up for just a second there my dear." the healer said in a tone that left no room for argument as she turned to look the time mage straight in the eyes. "I'm not going to question why I'm working on someone that's supposed to be dead, because I know that is what that husband of yours would expect me to do. But I just want to make things crystal clear between the two of us." she continued to say in a calm voice that for some reason helped Ultear understand why everyone was so terrified of her.

"If this is some sort of scheme between the two of you." she said while gesturing to the man on the bed. "I don't care if you're the mother of his children… I won't let either of you hurt that boy any more than he's already been. Oh and just so you know, in order to be an accomplished healer one must also know various ways of taking someone's life quite easily." finished the healer as she went back to treating her patient; leaving the only other conscious person in the room quite terrified of her.

"You can leave now." she barked out after Ultear remained there for another two minutes without saying or doing anything.

"I would never do anything that could possibly ruin what Natsu and I currently have, and the fact that you think I might means you know nothing about me. Oh and I feel that I should warn you as well that you should never underestimate what a loving mother and wife will do for her family." replied Ultear before storming out of the infirmary.

"Oh I know my dear, I just had to be sure." Porlyusica mumbled to herself as a faint smile could be seen spreading across her lips. It was at this moment that her patient regained consciousness and sat straight up in a panicked state until he realized that he wasn't in any form of danger.

"Careful there, you don't want to make your injuries any worse than they already are." she stated in a stern tone that caused him to finally take notice of her.

"That doesn't matter right now… Not when the rest of the country is soon going to be in complete and utter chaos." he said while flipping his legs off the side of the bed and letting out a grimace of pain. "They need to be warned." he continued to say as he stood on shaky legs, only to then be pushed back into the bed.

"Not going to happen while you're in that condition." she declared while giving him her most fearsome glare.

"You don't understand, this is nothing like what they've done before." he replied while once again trying to get back up only to once again be pushed back down.

"Sorry, but if you can't get past an elderly lady like me then you really won't be much of a help in any sort of fight." she argued as a thought quickly occurred to here. "Besides, I'm betting that you still want your identity kept a secret." she stated with a little smirk as she pulled off his bloody mask, thus revealing his distinctive tattoo. And she got exactly the type of reaction that she was expecting from him, which was him hurriedly covering up his face before anyone could see it.

"You have no idea what you're getting yourself into." stated Jellal as he glared at the healer with one of his hands covering his tattoo.

"Actually I do, Jellal Fernandes…" replied the elderly woman to his shock. "I've been around for quite a bit longer than you have my boy, and I've seen the Council do similar things in the past. Unfortunately they rarely end well for the person in your position. But I hope you realize that it will even be worse for you if you ever raise your hands against this guild." she said while she went back to seeing to his wounds.

"I'd never do something like that." he denied with a look of disgust coming over his visage.

"We'll see about that." she stated while then grabbing his left arm and jamming it back into its proper place, which elicited a pain filled scream from him.

"That we will, but none of this will really even matter if I don't warn them." he said while glaring at the woman currently healing him.

"Then why don't you just come out and say it already then?" she asked him as she pushed him back into the bed for the third time since he regained consciousness.

"Fine." he responded while letting out a long and tired sigh. "The drakes are going to attack any minute now, and unlike before this time they've actually brought a substantial force."

"How many are we talking about?" she asked, hoping that it was only just a few more then the last invasion that they had to deal with.

"I came upon a group of at least twenty, but I'm afraid that was only just part of their whole force." he answered with his head down only to lift it back up and realize that he was now all alone.

 **Back with the rest of the guild:**

"Now that we know we're going to be dealing with drakes how are the preparations coming?" Ultear asked from the middle of the guild as she watched most of their members prep.

"Magnolia has already been alerted so it's only a matter of time until all of the citizens are safe inside the bunkers." Kagura answered as she came up to the side of the time mage.

"What about the rest of the guilds? We don't know exactly where they'll strike." she pointed out with a concerned expression, knowing that every second could mean countless lives saved.

"We're currently trying to warn them as fast as we possibly can." replied Kinana from behind the bar where she and a few other guild members were trying to get into contact with said guilds.

"Good, how about getting into contact with the Council?" she inquired while looking up at Macao on the second floor.

"About as good as you'd expect; they keep transferring me from person to person. None of them being of any help at all or realizing how serious this is." grumbled Macao as he started to scratch the back of his head in frustration.

"Of course those old fools would…" she started to say until the infirmary doors were thrown wide open. This caused most of them to divert their attention to the pink haired women hurriedly rushing out to them.

"You need to call Natsu right away." ordered Porlyusica as she headed towards Ultear.

"We're only supposed to call him if it's an emergency." she replied while slightly taken aback by how the elderly woman was now behaving.

"And that is exactly what this is." stated the healer in a hushed tone now that she was right in front of the only person probably capable of contacting the fire dragon slayer.

"Sorry lady, but I'm certain that we'll be able to handle these drakes without the help of Salamander." declared Cobra with a smug grin that was shared by the rest of the dragon slayers that were standing behind him.

"That is where you're wrong!" she shouted out at him only to then turn back and look at Ultear with a pleading look that caught the woman even more off guard.

"Come on Grams, we can each at least handle two drakes on our own if we need to." replied Sting as he started to stretch out his arms while also doing a few quick squats.

"Then that would mean that there is at least twelve unaccounted for drakes that will still need to be dealt with." she shouted back at the cocky brat only to realize that she pretty much just announced that to the entire guild.

"So there are at least twenty drakes heading our way right now?" asked Miia as the guild instantly quieted down to the point that you could hear a pin drop.

"Yes, which is why we need Natsu with us as fast as possible." replied the healer once again in a hushed tone, not that it really mattered with how quiet the guild was.

"I'll see what I can do." said Ultear before quickly heading back up to her quarters to try and get into contact with her husband. While she was doing this Porlyusica went back to the infirmary to start healing what she hoped would be her only patient for a while.

"That's so many." stated Jet with a blank expression on his face.

"Even with Master Dragneel being here it would still be a difficult fight for us." Droy said with a still startled expression on his visage.

"We're so totally screwed." declared a random member, which was soon greeted with others having similar opinions. And within the next few moments the once well-organized guild was now in complete disarray with some of the members starting to mumble about taking off while they still had the chance. But before any of them could even think about acting on that thought of theirs a piercing wail rang throughout the guild that caused most of them to clutch their ears.

"I can't believe what I'm seeing and hearing right now." snarled out Miia as she glared out at the rest of the guild while she and the other dragon slayers were now standing in front of the entrance with similar expressions to hers. "I know I'm still new, but I was under the impression that our guild never backs down from a challenge even if that is shit ton of drakes heading our way."

"You're not wrong Miia." replied Rogue as he too glared at the rest of their fellow guild members.

"Damn right she isn't, I mean what the hell was the point of all of us training so hard if we're going to give up before we even try." declared Sting as a smirk slowly started to form on his lips as he could see a few members start to agree with him.

"I know that some of you are probably thinking that it's different since we're dragon slayers." pointed out Cobra with a stern look being sent the guild's way. "And you'd be correct… All that really means is we're going to be the ones that the drakes focus on since they believe we're the only ones that pose any threat to them. I don't know about the rest of you but I want to show them how wrong they are about that assumption of theirs. At least that is what Salamander believes and is one of the reasons why he's always been trying to do everything on his own." he finished with a smirk, even though it seemed that some of the members were slightly confused by that last part.

"If that was the case then wouldn't it have made more sense to let us help him earlier?" asked a member from the middle of one of the gathered crowds of guild members.

"Yes it would have if you had been ready back then, but most of you weren't and it only would have ended with unneeded sacrifices." Rogue explained to the shock of a few members. "Which is why some of you will be sitting this fight out as well, but for those of you that aren't. This is your time to show Master Dragneel that he was correct about believing in us being able to fight off these drakes by ourselves."

"Frankly I don't think Natsu could have said that any better himself." whispered Macao as he looked down at the guild that seemed to once again be fired up for their upcoming battle.

"Probably not, it just goes to show you that he's doing a good job at being their guild Master." commented Ultear as she came up next to him and looked down on the rest of the guild with a proud grin. "Something that I keep telling him, but you know how he is with those kinds of things."

"Can't seem to ever acknowledge how good he is at something other than his fighting that is." he replied with a little smirk. "So did you get into contact with him?" he asked with a hopeful tone to his voice.

"No, but I have Liza still calling him until he finally picks up." she answered as her proud grin switched to a worried expression.

"Then we're just going to have to hope he eventually answers it." he stated while also having a worried look wash over his face.

"Even if he does he's still four days away." she pointed out as their guild members underneath them were starting to get psyched up thanks to the other dragon slayers and a few of their S-Class mages.

"Just another reason that I need to get into contact with the Council." mumbled Macao as he glared at his communication lacrima that was currently on hold.

"Who are we?" asked Meredy from on top of a table.

"FAIRY TAIL!" shouted back the rest of the guild.

"That's what I thought." she replied with a confident grin spread across her face. "And what exactly does that mean?"

"That we are the best guild ever!" cheered Sting as he threw up their symbol with his right hand and soon afterwards had the rest of the guild following suit.

"And that we don't know the meaning of giving up." declared Kagura as a cheer of agreement was sent her way in response.

"So let's go out there and kick some drake asses!" shouted out Jet and received a roar of agreement.

"As Salamander would say, be careful out there and we expect all of you to come back to us in one piece." said Cobra with a proud grin now on display for the entire guild. The rest of the guild members would have more than likely charged out of there right then and there if Ultear hadn't decided to take charge of the situation.

"Alright everyone listen up, even though our Master isn't here with us right now that doesn't mean he still can't help us." she said to the confusion of most of the guild members. "And what I mean by that is that he's spent countless hours preparing for all sorts of situations. One of those situations just so happens to relate to what we should do if he's not here and a large group of drakes attacks."

Hearing this brought the mages of Fairy Tail even more courage and confidence than what they previously had just seconds ago. And that confidence only grew as Ultear went about breaking them into small groups that would later be assigned to certain areas once they knew where the drakes were attacking exactly. Something that they soon started to find out right when she was setting up the last three groups.

"The Early Drake Detection device just went off for Crocus!" shouted out Macao from the second level.

"That's not all, four other cities just went off as well!" yelled Wakaba as he came racing to the railings of the second level.

"Do we know what their numbers are at in any of those locations?" asked Ultear in a stern tone, trying to keep the rest of the guild as calm and collected as she possibly could.

"Nope, and we just received alerts that EDDs are going off for Lamia Scale, Blue Pegasus, Mermaid Heel, Quatro Cerberus, and Sabertooth!" replied Macao as he too came rushing to the railing to give the terrible news.

"How in the world did they get to all of those places at the same time?" Rogue asked with a perplexed look on his face.

"Doesn't really matter now does it, all we need to be worried about is taking these bastards down as fast as possible." answered Cobra as he started to head towards their courtyard where Droy's teleportation plants were set up.

"Cobra wait, you need the rest of your team." pointed out Meredy after seeing that he wasn't waiting for the rest of his team.

"Sorry but I don't think that's going to be an option for us today." he replied while gesturing to the second floor, which soon had Macao once again racing towards the edge and telling them that five more alarms went off with one of them being Magnolia. And unfortunately for the citizens of Magnolia it appeared that at least five drakes were speeding their way.

"He's right, all dragon slayers are going to have to go out on their own." ordered Ultear, which didn't seem to bother the dragon slayers very much. "And you're all free to pick where you want to head off to." she finished, lamenting that they didn't have any numbers to help guide her decision on where to send everyone.

"I'll see you guys later." said Cobra before heading into one of the portals and disappearing.

"Rogue and I will take care of Magnolia again." volunteered Sting while sporting a slightly creepy grin.

"No, you two will be heading to Crocus since I have the feeling that a large portion of their forces will be heading there." she said in a commanding tone that once again reminded Sting that she was the mate of their Alpha, which pretty much meant that her word was law for them while Natsu was away.

"Let's get to it then." replied Rogue as he grabbed Sting by the shoulder and pulled him through the portal leading to Crocus.

"So who's going to deal with the drakes coming here?" asked a random member in an extremely nervous tone.

"If we have enough groups after dealing with the other threats we'll have the rest stay here. If not then we'll just let them destroy the city for a while." was her quick reply before she started to assign where the rest of the groups were heading since Miia already chose where she and Akiro were going. And as this was happening Kinana and some of the other members trying to get into contact with the other guilds started to get calls. Calls that then started to give them more info on what they were dealing with at each of their locations, and so far it wasn't looking too pretty for them right now.

 **With Cobra:**

"Honestly I have no idea why you've got a place out here Salamander, but what I do know is that the citizens of this town are definitely appreciating it now." he said to himself as he fought his way through the crowds that were fleeing to one of the few bunkers spread around their town. One of those said bunkers was located underneath a newly constructed building that Cobra couldn't help but think that it was soon going to be a smaller version of their own guildhall.

He also couldn't help the mischievous grin that was slowly making its way across his face at the way the panicked citizens were still giving him his space. Just one of the few perks of still looking like he was a dark mage, which most would solely attribute to his usual expression being that of a scowl. And judging by how they were giving him even more space now, his grin seemed to only be making them even more wary of him.

"Does this town even have a guild?" he asked out loud, hoping that one of the passing citizens would be able to fill him in.

"Yea, they're the ones that started the evacuation." replied a man going the opposite direction as the dragon slayer.

"Good, I've got a feeling that they wouldn't be able to deal with even a youngling." he stated while still making his way to the outskirts of the town. In the rough direction that he could feel the faint magical aura that he had become quite familiar with over the last few years since joining Fairy Tail.

"Seems like I won't even have to wait very long." Cobra commented with a little smirk as two drakes swooped down and landed just a few yards away from him. He was ready to receive his usual welcome, which was either a growl or roar, but instead of that he only got smug grins from the two drakes as they inspected him. This infuriated the poison dragon slayer, but he knew better than to let his emotions get the better of him and decided to see if he could use their over confidence to his advantage instead.

"Let's see if this will finally work on these overgrown bastards." he thought to himself as he closed his eye to focus completely on his sense of hearing. And to his shock it actually worked; in all honesty it worked better than he ever could have hoped for and because of that he got more information than he could handle.

He couldn't understand all of it since all of it was in draconic, which he was only just starting to get the handle of thanks to Salamander teaching him during their spars together. But what he could piece together barely made sense to him, such as the drakes being afraid of something that was currently hunting down all of their brethren and causing them to seek new lands to build their nests in. One thing that he definitely understood out of the many thoughts running through both of the drakes minds at the moment was their fear of his Alpha. Both of them glad that he didn't appear before them like he was rumored to be capable of doing, which lead both of them to then think that their information about him being away was correct.

Hearing this caused a knot to form in his stomach, which only grew after hearing the next thing from the drake on the left. That they were just one of fifteen different duos tasked with destroying as many of the surrounding human settlements as possible. Knowing that this would cause the humans to spread out their forces to try and stop them, which in their mind meant an easy victory. Especially since that wasn't even counting their two different forces of ten drakes strong heading towards Crocus and Magnolia.

"Fuck!" he hissed under his breath as he opened his eyes and glared over at the two drakes still smirking at him. "I hope you two do realize that now I'm going to have to wrap things up with you as fast as I can."

"We'll see about that Slayer." chuckled the drake on the left; who was a forest green with a tan underbelly. While the one on the right was a light brown with an even lighter brown underbelly, making anyone looking at it instantly assume that its element definitely had to be a form of earth magic.

"That we will, **POISON DRAGON'S CLOUD OF DESPAIR!** " he shouted back as purple poison started to billow off of him and slowly spread around him like an ever growing fog. The brown drake quickly flicked out his tongue in response, only for an even bigger smirk to come over its face the next second.

"If this is the extent of your power, than calling you a Slayer was a mistake on our part since that is only reserved for those that actually pose a threat to us." it stated while slowly stalking towards Cobra, not caring for a second that it was heading straight into his poison mist.

"You drakes are all the same." Cobra replied while twisting so that his left shoulder was pointing directly at them. "Always looking down on us humans, never even thinking for a second that we can actually stand toe to toe with you." he continued to say as he fiddled with something in both of his coat's sleeves.

"Enough talking!" shouted out the other drake before she lunged at his blind spot. Or at least what she assumed was his blind spot considering that he no longer had his right eye. Instead of her mouth clamping down on his torso like she thought, her teeth only met each other as a loud snap rang out. But that was just the beginning for her; the next second she felt five different slashes land on various parts of her neck. Each of them starting to grow in pain with every passing second.

During this time her partner maneuvered to also try and attack Cobra at his blind spot, which only resulted in him also missing his mark and receiving a few small wounds. Wounds that both of them were extremely confused about the amount of pain they were currently feeling from them. That they then attributed to the two weird blades that he now had in each of his hands as he glared at them but otherwise remained motionless.

 **A several minutes later:**

"How are you doing this?" bellowed out the green drake as she glared at the dragon slayer that seemed to effortlessly reduce her and her partner to a very miserable state. Both of them were now covered with various cuts and slashes all over their bodies, and worst of all neither of them could no longer do any sort of breath attack due to the extreme pain that quickly followed afterwards.

"Which part?" Cobra asked while twisting out of the way of a tail threatening to flatten him.

"All of it!" roared the other drake as he then went on the assault, which was a flurry of swipes and bites. All of which failed miserably and only ended with him getting even more cuts as he grew even more exhausted.

"I think I can tell you both now that this fight is already over." he replied, which caused both of the drakes to charge at him in a blind rage. And just like all of their other attacks it only ended with them being on the receiving end, but this time with him actually using moves that sent them to the ground. Where both of them knew would be their final resting place as the maroon haired man slowly made his way towards them.

"I was really hoping to not have to waste anymore of my magic on the two of you." he said while dusting off his coat. "Especially since I now know that there are at least forty eight of you bastards to still deal with." causing both of the drakes to go wide eyed. "Oh and thanks for letting me know about that by the way." he said with a slight smile coming across his face.

"We never said anything like that." hissed out the brown female as he glared up at him.

"But you thought it." he replied while still smiling down at the drake that seemed confused. "Which is also how I was able to dodge all of your attacks as well." he finished as a look of realization came washing over both of their faces.

"That shouldn't be possible!" growled out the female with a sneer.

"I didn't think so either, but here we are." he stated while gesturing to their current situation. "Maybe it's because the two of you saw me as nothing more than an insect in your way. But honestly it doesn't really matter since neither of you are going to be making it out of here alive."

"As it should be, we lost to a lowly human such as yourself who isn't even a real dragon slayer." spat out the other drake; only for Cobra to appear right next to him and deliver the finishing blow right through his left eye the next second.

"That may be true, but I was more than enough to deal with the two of you." he said while pulling his arm out of the drake's head.

"You still haven't said how you were able to reduce us to this state." pointed out the green drake as he made his way to her.

"I thought that would have been obvious." he stated while raising an eyebrow questioningly, only for the drake to shake her head no. "You two morons decided to have our entire fight inside of my poison cloud, which isn't very effective right away like the two of you noticed. But given enough time and some direct contact with open wounds and no one can win against me, not even a drake. Well that's not actually true, my Alpha isn't affected by it at all and can also somehow not let me hear his thoughts like most drakes." he continued to say while tapping his chin in thought.

"Impressive, and that is to be expected from the son of Igneel." she replied with a grin slowly spreading across her mug. "But how well do you think he'll take it once he returns to find all of his friends and loved ones dead." she said before breaking into a hysterical chuckle.

A chuckle that soon came to an abrupt halt thanks to an arm being imbedded into her brain. "That won't be happening while the rest of the guild and I are still breathing." declared Cobra as he pulled his dagger and arm out of the drake. It was at this moment that he realized that he didn't have any time to waste and booked it back to that property of Salamander's so he could inform the rest of the guild and head off to the next place he was needed.

 **With Miia after stepping through her chosen portal:**

"Are we sure that a drake is actually coming to a little village like this?" asked Akiro as he looked over his partner's shoulder from his spot on top of her backpack.

"According to the EDD device there should be." she replied while scanning the skies for one of them.

"Maybe one of them just flew past." he suggested with a hopeful smile.

"No, they're still here and are for some reason just sitting back and watching us." she said in a completely serious tone as she continued to look for any signs of said drakes.

"They as in more than one?" he asked in a slightly panicked tone while hugging the back of her head and frantically looking around for them as well.

"At least two of them." was her curt reply.

"Do you know their rough direction at least?" he inquired, glad that it wasn't any more than two which he knew still wasn't going to be any sort of a cakewalk for them.

"I think that they might be in that general area." she answered while pointing at the nearby mountains that pretty much surrounded the secluded village.

"Then I'll go check." he shouted while taking to the skies before she could stop him.

"Akiro get back here this instant!" she yelled at him, slightly panicking that he was going to get himself hurt or worse.

"Nope, I need to help too." he declared before flying through a cloud and out of her sight.

"Please just be safe." Miia whispered to herself as she nervously watched where her partner disappeared. Over the next three minutes she waited anxiously for any signs of her Exceed but didn't so much as hear anything other than the villagers going about their evacuation of the town. And just as she was about to go and start looking for Akiro he swooped down from the clouds and grabbed her before she could even ask him what's going on.

"They're going for the villagers!" he shouted down to her as they flew across the village to the other side.

"But their scents are still over there." she pointed out while gesturing to where they just were.

"I don't know how they did it, but trust me that they're no longer there." Akiro replied as he picked up their speed. Which was apparently not fast enough, because at that very moment the two drakes that they were after descended from the clouds. One of the drakes at the front of the group of civilians evacuating and the other one at the rear, both of them charging up their respective roars.

"Akiro!" she shouted out in desperation as see looked on in horror, hoping that somehow they would be able to get there in time.

"I'm trying." he grunted out as their speed increased even more.

But even that wasn't enough; both of the drakes unleashed their roars on the helpless citizens cowering in fear. A stream of fire washed over them from one side as lightning arched from one villager to the next on the other side with those in the middle being hit by both. Needless to say none of the people caught in between these two mighty attacks remained after both of the drakes ceased their roars.

However, neither one of them could have expected what happened next, which was a roar of anger ringing out from the direction of the city. As the fire drake was turning to see what it could only assume was the dragon slayer they tricked, a blur of black and purple flew past. Only for another roar to follow right after but this time it was a roar of pain that originated from his fellow drake. Who was sent crashing to the ground as the dragon slayer responsible for this slowly floated to the ground as a purple blur flew back up into the clouds.

"How could you attack innocent civilians like that?" Miia asked as she touched down to the ground and had her bangs covering her face.

"Because no human is innocent." growled out the fire drake as it remained hovering in the air above her while its partner got back up with a menacing growl.

"Why?" she asked just above a whisper.

"Younglings like you wouldn't understand." answered the lightning drake as it made its way towards her with bolts of lightning arcing all over its yellow and tan body.

"Then explain it!" she shouted back while lifting her head back up, which allowed both of the drakes to see her golden eyes glaring at them as what appeared to be purple spirits started to swirl around her. This of course caused both of them to step back hesitantly since neither of them has ever encountered someone with whatever type of dragon slaying magic she possesses. The two of them remained silent for a while as they continued to analyze the female slayer before them, neither of them noticing her mumbling to herself as they were doing this.

"We're only returning the favor." stated the fire drake as he made his descent to the ground, making sure that he was on the exact opposite side of her as his partner.

"But you're the ones constantly attacking us." she pointed out while continuously glaring back and forth between the two of them.

"Silly little Slayer, we're not talking about what has been going on between us just recently." he chuckled back at her as both of them started to circle around her. "No, this grudge of ours stretches back to the time when dragons still ruled the world." he continued to say, slightly surprised when he didn't seem to get any reaction out of her after revealing this.

"If that's really the case for the two of you… Then we have nothing more to say to each other." she replied while lowering herself down as her legs split apart and her arms were brought up in front of her.

"Quite confident aren't we." said the lightning drake with a little chuckle at the end as they continued to walk around her.

"Yes I am." was her simple reply as she continued to try and keep her eyes on both of them.

"And why is that might I ask?" asked the fire drake as he came to a stop.

"Because of them." Miia answered as she gestured to the corpses of all the villagers scattered around them.

Upon hearing this both of the drakes broke into uproarious laughter that went on for a good while. That didn't seem to bother Miia in the slightest and only stopped when one of them decided to voice his opinion on her last statement.

"And it's because of sentiments like that, that you humans will always be inferior to us." the lightning drake declared with a smug grin sent her way.

"I never said that it was because of something like that." she replied as a malicious grin spread across her lips. That as soon as it was there her magical aura started to skyrocket as the purple spirits that were swirling around her started to multiply at an astonishing rate. **"SPECTER DRAGON'S WAIL!"** she shouted out while twirling so she was aiming directly at the lightning drake.

This caught both of the drakes completely off guard, which unfortunately for the one on the receiving end would be his last. His partner watched on in pure shock as the roar from the dragon slayer seemed to have a mind of its own. All of the spirits contained in the roar that would have missed their target due to the sheer size of the roar would twist around and attack his partner from the back. After Miia cut off her attack the completely decimated form of the lightning drake was left crumpled up on the ground.

The final drake snapped back into reality as he charged at her back, intending to make the insolent human pay for what she just did to his partner. Only instead of that happening she fell through the ground and disappeared completely, which once again caught him off guard. That is until he realized that he should still be able to sniff her out, which he went about doing.

"Where the hell are you Slayer?" bellowed the drake after looking for her and coming up with absolutely nothing after five whole minutes.

" **SPECTER DRAGON'S PIERCING CLAW!** " yelled Miia as she came out of the ground underneath his neck, landing a devastating blow only to fade away right after.

"You can't hide from me little Slayer!" shouted out the drake in rage as he started to slash at the ground in a crazed manner.

"Sorry, but I'm over here." she taunted from right behind him before fading back into the ground as a stream of fire flew through the area where she was just a second ago.

 **A few minutes later:**

"What are you?" was the gargled question that came out of the beaten drake as he looked up at Miia with her foot firmly planted on his snout.

"A dragon slayer of Fairy Tail." she answered as her purple spirits started to form around her right hand that was held out as if it were a blade.

"Yes, but I've never even heard of a Specter Dragon." he replied once again just barely being audible due to the grievous wounds he sustained over the last few minutes.

"I wouldn't imagine that you would have considering that there were only a few of them, and they also usually tried to stay out of the fights for various reasons." she said while making sure that he wasn't trying to spring some sort of trap on her in his final moments.

"Why in the world would they do that, just look at the power an insignificant human like you is capable of achieving with just a fraction of theirs?" he questioned, knowing that it was probably going to be his last.

"Because it requires too much death to achieve." she answered in a grim tone before bringing down her arm and snuffing his life out of existence. She slowly pulled away from him, not wanting to be caught unaware, which would have been a surprise since she just had her hand through his head. But as Natsu always told them, you never can let your guard down around a drake no matter what state they are in. If you did then you would be lucky to get off with some of the scars that now litter his body because of him letting his doing just that or still trying to settle things peacefully with them before he finished it.

"Miia!" came the shrill cry of her Exceed as he swooped down and crashed into her chest just as she stumbled a little bit due to exhaustion.

"It's okay Akiro." she replied in a soft tone while stroking him behind his left ear.

"No it's not!" he yelled at her while still keeping himself buried in her chest. "You said that you hated doing that and would never do it again."

"I know, but I couldn't let those drakes get away with what they just did." Miia stated while glaring over at the corpses of her two previous foes.

"But you could have done it without doing that!" he argued back while pulling away from her and giving her a slight glare.

"This time was different." she replied only to trail off at the end and look away from her partner.

"How so?" he asked, honestly intrigued with how this time was different than the last time she did something similar.

"It's really hard to put into words…" she said while trailing off once again, although this time with a thoughtful expression spread across her entire face. "It felt as if all of them wanted to help me take down the drakes that ended their lives. Almost as if they were whispering in my ear to do what they couldn't." she finished with a sad smile as she looked across the plains that were still covered in the corpses of what used to be the village she was sent to protect.

"You're hearing voices now?" Akiro asked in a hesitant tone as he looked at his partner with a skeptical look.

"No I'm not, I said it was like they were." she yelled back at him. "That's why I said earlier that it was hard to explain."

"Are they telling you anything now?" he asked while quickly looking around the two of them.

"Yes, that they still want to help out." she answered with a soft smile. After which she knelt down on one knee while at the same time closed her eyes and put her right palm to the ground. "Spirits of the recently departed, please lend me your strength one more time so that I can hopefully prevent others from following after you. If you grant me this, on the honor of Yurei the Specter Dragon, I won't fail others like I just did all of you." she whispered so faintly that even Akiro missed out on a few of the words.

She remained like that for a while, with nothing changing or even indicating that she would get a response from them. And just as she was about to give up and head back to the guild, she got her answer, which came in the form of a whole swarm of purple spirits raising from the corpses of the villagers and starting to swirl around her.

"Thank you." she said with a slight smile before she started to inhale all of them. "Let's go kick some more ass!" she declared after finishing up the last spirit and turning to look at her partner.

"Hell yeah!" cheered Akiro as he grabbed her by her hoodie and took off to the village as fast as he could.

 **End of Chapter**

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Thanks for reading, and I'm sorry that I haven't been able to update my stories as frequently as I once did, which is mostly due to me now working full time instead of just being part time. But that's enough of that stuff, so as you can probably already tell I'll be going to other characters across the country and showing how they are doing against the swarm of drakes that are attacking. And that list of characters will include people that aren't even from Fairy Tail, which will hopefully be a good read. If you'd like see a certain character in the upcoming battles send me a review or PM and I'll see what I can do. Of course I won't be able to do all of them but I love it when you let me know what you'd like to see since it helps inspire me and think about things that I might have otherwise forgotten.**

 **Until the next Chapter**

 **Digem Out!**


	37. Turmoil Across Fiore

Ch 37: Turmoil Across Fiore

 **January 28th, X789 just as the sun was starting to set for the capital city of Crocus:**

"Are you sure about this your Highness?" a man in a full suite of armor asked as he came out onto the balcony where the princess of Fiore was currently looking out over the city. Instead of being the young girl that Natsu and Ultear ran into in the Royal Gardens a little less than three years ago. Hisui was now a young teenager that was already grabbing the attention of the opposite sex, which was only going to happen even more as she matured into her adult body.

"No… But what other options do we have Arcadios?" she asked while turning around to look at her faithful protector with an uncertain look.

"We could continue to put our faith in Fairy Tail, they so far haven't let us down. And that Master of theirs, despite being rough around the edges, has been helping out the rest of the country in more ways than just dealing with the drakes by himself." Arcadios answered with his usual stern expression that one would expect from a seasoned soldier.

"I wish that was an option for us, but you already know that it isn't." she stated as a sad expression came over her face at the mention of the pink haired guild Master.

"I fear you're putting too much faith in that book of yours." he replied as his expression somehow became even more serious. "A book that just happened to magically appeared in your personal library out of nowhere. And dated from the near future no less, sorry your Highness but I believe we should be putting our efforts into what we can actually see for ourselves."

"That's funny to hear from you Arcadios; weren't you the one telling me that we have to be prepared for anything?" she asked him with a little smirk slowly appearing on her lips. That was instantly lost as sirens started to go off throughout the city, signaling a drake attack was heading their way just like her book said it would happen.

"I did, but that was before I saw what Fairy Tail is capable of doing. Something that your little book seems to keep overlooking, which is odd considering who the supposed writer is." he answered as the two of them watched their city spring back to life as the citizens got ready.

This for some of them meant heading to one of the bunkers that were actually finished throughout the city, or hunkering down wherever they could and hope for the best. While others opted for the get everything of value that they could carry and hightail it out of there as fast as physically possible. In other words, the once peaceful city of Crocus was now complete chaos as citizens were freaking out as Rune Knights and the Royal Guards tried to maintain order while also getting ready for the upcoming fight.

"We've been over this already…" said the princess with a tired sigh. "It has been confirmed to not be some sort of elaborate hoax like you keep hinting at. As for why it's so vague about our current events, that is most likely due to her and the rest of the Tenrou Group being missing right now. And it's more of a diary than any sort of published book that would tell us about historic events in great detail." she finished as they both could hear the hurried footsteps of the rest of her personal guard rushing to them.

"Yes your Highness, but if that book of yours is in fact from the future then it would mean that our country is soon going to be losing its Hero. And I'm sure you do realize how that will cause fear and panic to spread across the country faster than we can ever hope to contain. Which won't be easy to repair if we're still busy working in secret on that final solution of yours." he pointed out with a worried look coming over his visage.

"I do, but unfortunately being a good ruler means you have to think about the greater good." she replied as the rest of her guards entered her room. "Even if it means losing one of the few people in the world that actually treated you like a normal person." she mumbled to herself with a sad look as she was escorted to her private bunker where her father was sure to be waiting for her.

"A girl your age shouldn't have to worry about things like this." Arcadios whispered to himself while reaching into a pouch on his belt and fishing out a communication lacrima. "This is Arcadis speaking on behalf of Princess Hisui, please enact operation Dark Light." he said while glaring into the lacrima that currently had one of the Council's representatives on it.

"But that operation was deemed too risky by the Council." replied the frogman in a nervous tone as he was glancing around his room for help.

"I currently don't care what the Council believes, or are they openly disobeying a direct order from her Highness?" he asked back in an irritated tone as his glare intensified.

"No, definitely not, but this really isn't a direct order now is it." pointed out the representative with a smug little grin.

"What's your name again?" asked Arcadios with a pleasant smile washing over his face.

"It's Alfred." answered the frogman hesitantly.

"Good, now I know the name of the person to blame once her Highness finds out that her command was ignored. Which won't really matter since the Council will more than likely be done away with since they can't even follow the simple order to release a few prisoners into the Kingdom's custody." he said while deliberately going extremely slow to turn off his lacrima.

"Hold on just one moment, I was just following the proper protocol." replied the frogman representative, only for him to cover his ears as numerous alarms started to go off wherever he was located.

"You've got a minute to either confirm or deny that operation Dark Light has been set into motion. And from what I can hear it would seem that you've got more than enough to deal with at the moment." he said once again going back to his stern expression as he glared at the clearly overwhelmed Council worker.

"Fine, operation Dark Light is now in motion." said the frogman before turning off his lacrima, which was then followed by a smug smile spreading across the Knight's face as he did the same.

"As you said your Highness, we need to be prepared for anything and hopefully this will make it easier on us in the future. A future that Fairy Tail has shown time and time again to not be set in stone." he thought to himself as he started to make his way to where a few unexpected guests would be arriving any second now.

 **At Mermaid Heel just after their Early Drake Detection devices started to go off:**

"You all know what to do!" shouted out Master Alicia as she looked over her guild members that were now hurrying around their guildhall.

"I don't like our plan." mumbled Millianna while leaning against one of the walls with a prominent scowl spread across her face.

"We've been over this a hundred times already Millianna." she replied after letting out a long sigh, slightly glad that the cat crazed girl was apparently the only one against their current plan. "I won't let any of my guild members go out there and fight against those monsters that they have no chance of beating in a fair fight. That according to Master Dragneel isn't really a thing that drakes are really known for doing in the first place, let alone in a fight to the death."

"That isn't going to stop the members of Fairy Tail!" argued Millianna as she got off of the wall and started to make her way towards her guild Master.

"I don't imagine that it would, but that definitely doesn't mean it's the correct decision for our guild to make. Not to mention that they have a few dragon slayers in their ranks and all of them have constantly been receiving training from their guild Master. Who as you know is the leading authority on dealing with drakes, and he is also constantly saying that only S-Class mages or above should ever even think about trying to deal with a drake." she explained for what felt like the umpteenth time.

"Yes, but we all can't just sit here waiting for them to save us again." Millianna said while coming face to face with her Master as they looked into each other eyes.

"We won't be just sitting here Millianna, we'll be protecting all of the citizens while at the same time keeping whatever drakes sent our way distracted." she replied while not breaking eye contact with her defiant guild member. "Something that we won't be able to do without everyone helping maintain our barriers so I can handle the distracting part." she finished with a devious smirk slowly spreading across her lips.

"Fine, but next time they attack I won't be just sitting on the sidelines." mumbled Millianna as she stormed off to a different area in their guildhall.

"I figured as much my dear Millianna, which is why I'll be sending you and a few others to receive some proper training after all of this is over." said Alicia as she looked over the rest of her guild, stopping on a few of the members that seemed to have the same thought as Millianna but weren't confident enough to make it known yet.

"Master, we've just got news that drakes are also attacking the city of Dahlia." shouted out Beth as she came racing over to her.

"Shit, unfortunately we won't be able to help them and have to be more concerned about what we can do. Which is making sure that all of our own citizens are safe and sound; and that the drakes coming here stay here and don't go anywhere else." she stated as a worried look came over her expression. While mentally she was hoping that Fairy Tail would be able to send a group there before they sent any their way.

"Should we tell Fairy Tail about this?" asked Risley as she joined the two of them.

"There will be no need for that since Fairy Tail gets an alert anytime one of the EDD devices goes off." Arana stated while not even turning to look at them since she was concentrated on getting their wards into place.

"She's correct about that, but could you call them and let them know that we should be fine on our own until most of the other threats are dealt with." replied Master Alicia since she had a feeling that they definitely weren't the only two places in the country under attack at the moment.

 **At the Guildhall of Quatro Cerberus:**

"Alright men, the last time we tried to take on a drake we kind of got our asses handed to us." Goldmine announced from his spot right in front of his entire guild as they stood outside of their guildhall. "But even after receiving such a crushing defeat and being saved by Master Dragneel in the end, I don't think I could be any prouder of our wild bunch. We got back up and dusted ourselves off only to then proceeded to throw everything we had into preparing for a day like today." he declared before letting out a war cry that the rest of his members soon followed suit in. Causing an impressive roar to echo throughout their now completely evacuated town, thanks to the bunkers they built after Natsu's initial design.

"Now that's what I like to hear." said Bacchus as a crazed grin started to make its way across his face.

"Are you sure about this Master?" Rocker asked as he came up to the side of Goldmine as they both watched Bacchus start getting red. Which usually would have only consisted of him getting completely shit faced drunk, but this time he had some new gear that he was dying to try out. "I know that he's our Ace and all, but having him be our only member facing off against them in hand to hand combat just seems suicidal." he finished with a worried look.

"For anyone of our other members it would be, which is one of the main reasons that he wants to do this all by himself." replied their guild Master as they both continued to watch their Ace. "Also this way he knows he doesn't have to hold back or be concerned about any of us getting caught up in one of his attacks. It is also the only way he could think of preventing what happened last time from happening again, and it honestly just might be crazy enough to actually work." he finished as a slightly crazed grin spread across his own face.

"I know all of that, it's just… Are those new gauntlets of his really going to make that much of a difference?" asked the fellow close quarters mage still rocking a concerned expression.

"I believe that they will." answered Goldmine as a serious expression once again came over his face. "Master Dragneel personally dropped them off himself, and from our little discussion afterwards. He and his friend Cid apparently spent a long time making them with Bacchus's unique fighting style in mind." he explained as said mage finally finished putting on his new gear, which he then started to test out with a few practice punches.

"It would have been nice if he could have given the rest of us some drake slaying gear as well." Rocker mumbled, before he received a swift smack to the back of his head.

"We're lucky that Master Dragneel gave us anything at all." reprimanded his guild Master while also giving him a disapproving glare. "I can't even imagine what that poor boy is going through. Not only is he responsible for the safety of his entire guild, but he's also the person everyone now looks to whenever a drake rears its ugly head. And all of this was pretty much thrown onto him in the blink of an eye, which just so happened to come after the Tenrou incident." he finished with a sad look now taking up residence on his face.

"I'm sorry Master Goldmine, I didn't…" Rocker started to reply until he was waved off by his Master, resulting in the two of them standing together in silence for a few more seconds. "Do you really believe that they're actually still alive like he claims them to be?" he asked while looking over at the man who used to be a member of said guild in his youth.

"All I'll say is that nobody believed Master Dragneel when he continuously warned us about the drakes turning into a bigger problem than what they once were." he answered while adjusting his hat ever so slightly. "We all know how well that turned out for us." he said while gesturing to their current situation. "Also, if I know Master Makarov as well as I think I do, he's too stubborn to die like the Council claims he did. Especially when the rest of his brats are fighting so hard to keep his guild running in a similar way to how he did." he finished with a small smile gracing his lips.

"I'd hardly consider the Fairy Tail now, even remotely close to what it once was." stated Rocker while looking over at Goldmine as if he had completely lost it.

"To most it would probably look that way; especially given that one of the biggest culprits for their old reputation is now seen as one of the Country's strongest and well respected mages." he replied as his smile started to morph into a proud one. "They're still causing mass destruction on most of their jobs, possibly even more than before which is actually quite impressive when you think about it." he said with a little chuckle. "Even with all of the extra training and jobs that they are constantly doing, they still have their occasional brawls to let off some steam. But more importantly they are keeping the one thing that sets Fairy Tail apart from all other guilds."

"And what is that?" Rocker inquired, intrigued at what set the number one guild apart from the rest of them.

"They're a family." answered the older mage with a fond smile. "Which is exactly how I see our guild mind you, but it isn't the same for a wide variety of reasons." he said only for Rocker's expression to become even more confused. "Every member of their guild realizes that as soon as they step one foot into their guildhall for the first time and watching how they interact with each other on a daily basis. They are then given the offer to join that crazy family of theirs, knowing that if they say yes they will be a member for life." he finished while tracing his hand over his left shoulder as a nostalgic look flashed across his face.

"Does that include you Master?" he asked since he was one of the few members in their guild that knew about their guild Master's past.

"Indeed it does Rocker, even though my path has diverged from being a member of their guild. I will continue to live my life to the fullest, which just so happened to be raising a new generation of mages that I couldn't be prouder of." he answered while looking out at all of their guild members that were hurriedly getting ready for the upcoming fight. "And I'll never forget the friends that I made while there, that I would literally do anything for them if they would simply just ask." he stated while once again touching his left shoulder gently.

"And we would do the same for you Master." Rocker stated as he looked over at his Master with a completely serious expression.

"I know, which is just one of the many reasons that I'm so proud of our guild." he replied, while looking as if he was about to say something more. But before he could the ground slightly shook as two different drakes landed in the middle of their city, neither of them caring in the slightest at the wide destruction that they had just caused.

One of the drakes was completely pitch black with its only other color being its red eyes that had an, otherworldly glow to them. While the other drake's main color was a deep blood red that only stopped at its tan underbelly that seemed to be a fairly common trait amongst their species. The two drakes before Quatro Cerberus were definitely contenders for the most intimidating drakes to date, which was easily enhanced by the menacing looks they were currently giving them.

"Looks like we weren't lucky enough to get one of the slayers." declared the black drake in a deep voice as he looked over at his partner with a wide grin.

"It would appear so, well that just means we need to get rid of these insects and move on to our ne-" replied the other drake in slightly lighter tone, although something prevented him from finishing his thought. And that something was none other than Bacchus Groh, who delivered a devastating chop to the back of the drake's head. That then resulted in said drake's head being launched into the ground to everyone's surprise, none more than the two drakes.

"Damn Salamander, you weren't joking when you said I wouldn't need to worry about holding back while wearing these." stated Bacchus as he gracefully landed in front of the two drakes while looking at his purple gauntlets as his crazed grin grew even larger. His gauntlets were actually almost identical to his previous set of shoulder pads and sleeves, with the small change of also now covering his fists and being made from drake scales instead of their previous material. "Oh and sorry to break it to the two of you, but slayers aren't the only humans you need to be worried about." he declared as the red drake finally recovered from his surprise attack.

"I'm really going to enjoy ripping you to shreds!" growled out the red drake before lunging at the lone mage that appeared to barely be able to stand on his own two feet. Something that he was planning to use against the human before him, but something unexpected happened before his teeth could tear into the man. And that was Bacchus effortlessly dodging the incoming attack during one of his stumbles, which then turned into him delivering another powerful attack but this time to the drake's underbelly.

"You insignificant little ant!" bellowed the drake as he twirled around to get the infuriating human in his sights again. Unfortunately that is when he realized why his fellow drake didn't follow up with him on either of his attacks; his partner was under a constant barrage courtesy of the other humans he saw scurrying about earlier. But before he could even react to this new information he too was now under fire, and to his horror he could actually feel the assault affecting him.

"ENOUGH!" shouted out the black drake as he flew higher into the air while at the same time dodging all of the attacks sent his way. "Now you puny humans are going to feel our wrath!" he declared while rearing his head back in the telltale manner that meant a roar was coming Quatro Cerberus' way.

And what a roar it was, dark shadows came streaming down from the drakes open maw and soon engulfed three different cannons that were aimed his way. This was only just the beginning of the black drake's attack as he continued to unleash his roar on them as he swiveled around in the air, making sure to hit each and every one of the annoying cannons directed at him and his partner.

"What, how is that even possible?" he asked in complete shock after making a full rotation and finding that the cannons he first attacked were completely fine. Actually they were more than fine, they were charged back up and ready to once again unleash hell on the drakes threatening to destroy them and their city. But before that could even happen, the man who attacked his partner from before appeared in front of him with a quite frankly terrifying look in his eyes.

"How about we take this to the ground?" Bacchus asked as he slammed both of his palms into the lower portion of the drakes neck. This resulted in the shadow drake being thrown abruptly back down to the ground and crashing into his partner, which is when the other members of Quatro Cerberus finally opened fire on them. A large cloud of smoke and debris quickly formed around the two drakes as they were continuously hit by round after round from the numerous cannons positioned across the city.

"Did we get them?" asked a random guild member as most of the cannons were now in the process of reloading.

"Nope!" answered their Ace as a smile that went from ear to ear started to appear as he slowly started to walk towards the clouded area in the center of their city. Just as he was about to enter the cloud two extremely pissed off roars rang out as the cloud was then blown away, revealing both of the drakes with their wings spread wide and glaring directly at the man coming towards them.

"You really must have a death wish to continue to come at the two of us all alone." the red drake declared in a snarl as Bacchus continued to come towards them.

"Nope, I just have a really long way to go before I catch up to Salamander, which is actually quite sad considering he's a few years younger than me." he replied while once again dodging whatever attack the two drakes threw his way, each time looking as if he only dodged them by accident. "But I think I've finally figured out how he got so strong so fast… He started to take care of you overgrown lizards!" he shouted out before charging directly at them like a madman.

This was something that the two drakes expected from the obviously crazy human, but even knowing that he planned to charge straight at them didn't seem to help as he dove through one of their slashes. By going right in between two of their claws and tucking into a roll once on the other side, before getting back up only to fall onto his knees in a slide as another attack missed him by only a centimeter. After dodging death by a razor's edge at least ten times in the last five seconds alone, he seemed to phase out of focus only to appear behind both of the drakes.

What followed afterwards was something that none of his guild mates have ever seen from him before, both drakes let out another pain filled roar as it looked as if they both were hit at least ten different times. And these attacks weren't random; no they were very specific spots that Bacchus chose for a very simple reason. It was where he could tell that their scales were starting to fail, something that was proven to be correct as a few of them fell to the ground.

"This shouldn't be possible." spat out the red drake as he cautiously kept his distance from the lone mage before them.

"Says who?" he asked back only to break into a loud chuckle at the end. "I bet this is exactly what Salamander feels like whenever someone said something similar to him. But guess what, he keeps on doing the impossible so why the hell can't the rest of us?"

"Who is this Salamander you keep referring to?" asked the other drake as he also made sure to keep his distance from Bacchus.

"Oh yeah, you probably don't know about his old moniker." he replied once again letting out a chuckle. "Nowadays everyone refers to him as Master Dragneel, but I'm guessing that you guys know of him as the son of Igneel." he finished while grabbing a gourd that was attached to his belt and chugging whatever was inside of it.

"Ah, Dragneel is definitely the best that your sorry lot has to offer." said the red drake while nodding his head up and down. "Not many can boast of going up against that monster and living to tell the tale, not only that but he also caused him to bleed in the process." he stated as a wide grin spread across his face.

"What are…" Bacchus asked only for his question to be cut short as the lights throughout the city started to go out. This also included the lights some of his guild members were aiming at the drakes with to make sure the ones operating the cannons could easily see them.

"You humans rely so heavily on your sense of sight to fight. So what will you do now that it's been taken away from you?" asked the drake in a menacing tone as it slowly stalked around the mage still completely by himself. Instead of getting any sort of response from the man, he just continued to stand there as the drake made its way to his backside.

"Quadrant C4!" shouted out Goldmine, only for numerous shots to ring out as an infuriated roar soon followed shortly after.

During that brief moment the red drake lost focus on the mage right in front of him, which was exactly what the Ace of Quatro Cerberus was waiting for. "You're right about that." replied Bacchus as he unleashed strike after strike on the completely caught off guard drake in front of him. "But luckily for us, Salamander made sure to inform us about all of the underhanded tactics you like to pull." he continued to explain while not letting up on his assault. "Also you're not really doing a good job of hiding." he concluded as he landed an impressive strike that sent the drake into the air.

"Dragneel!" hissed back the drake as he took to the skies, wanting to recuperate from the onslaught of the crazed man below him. Unfortunately the other members of Quatro Cerberus had something else to say about that idea of his as Goldmine shouted out to another quadrant. And before he could even try to dodge he was pelted with round after round from their cannons.

 **An hour later:**

"Since when have humans been capable of this?" asked the black drake as he looked across the completely destroyed city block at Bacchus. Who was surprisingly still standing and only had a few shallow wounds from their fierce battle that was now coming to a close.

"Since forever." Bacchus answered as he staggered forward, this time due to his injuries and not because of being drunk.

"You may have won this battle, but don't think for a second that you've won the war." growled out the red drake from his spot on the ground just a few yards to the left of them. "The rest of our forces have no doubt laid waste to all who opposed them, meaning it's only a matter of time before they come here to finish the rest of you off." he finished with a wide smirk slowly spreading across his mug, only for it to shift into a grimace as a shot rang out and his body shifted ever so slightly from the impact of the round.

"Sorry to disappoint you once again, but if we were able to hold you off then there are guaranteed to be others. And that isn't even including Fairy Tail who, if you haven't realized it yet, have kind of made it their job to deal with you arrogant bastards." he replied while glaring at the two drakes as Goldmine came up to his side and slung one of his arms over his shoulder.

"Are you sure about that human, without Dragneel protecting them do you really believe that they will be able to hold off ten of us attacking them at once?" asked the other drake as a smug grin spread across his face at seeing the shocked and worried looks wash over the two mages before them.

"Even if they didn't send out their other slayers to help other villages it would still be almost impossible for them to survive." stated the red one through his clenched jaw. "And even if they do somehow make it out of all of this live, it's only the beginning of something much bigger." he continued to say before he broke into a crazed laughter that showed no signs of stopping. That is until Goldmine did a hand gesture and another shot rang out, effectively silencing the drake and sending him to his eternal resting place.

"How?" asked a now terrified drake as it looked over at what remained of his partner's head. Which really wasn't much after the last round tore through it and left only his bottom jaw intact.

"Once again, all credit goes to Master Dragneel for lending us a helping hand." Goldmine answered from his spot well away from the drake still breathing. "Your scales and claws are stronger than pretty much anything we could ever hope to create on our own. But with a little help from him and his friend, they were able to fashion us a few rounds that would be able to pierce you once we got you to a weakened state." he explained while raising his arm into the air to once again to give the signal to fire. But held off when the last remaining drake started to chuckle to himself.

"What in the hell could you find so funny in all of this?" Bacchus shouted out in anger from his position next to his Master.

"That Dragneel is actually willing to give away weapons that I have no doubt will one day be used against him." replied the drake while still laughing to himself.

"We'd never do that to him!" he yelled while staggering away from Goldmine and slowly making his way towards the drake.

"Bacchus, he's just trying to lure you in." warned the Master of Quatro Cerberus.

"I don't give a fuck!" he shouted back, honestly not caring if he was going to get an ear full later. "Unlike you conniving bastards we actually care for our fellow comrades." he said while now just a few feet away from the drake.

"That might be the case for you and everyone else here, but can you honestly say the same for the rest of your kind?" the drake asked him back with a wide grin that showed off his teeth. The response that he got from Bacchus was an angry shout before the man was pummeling into his head with everything that he had. And he continued to do this until he was forcefully removed from the drake's corpse by a few of his fellow guild members that he was about to lash out at. Until he all of a sudden passed out, making all of them extremely concerned for him.

"What the hell just happened?" asked Warcry as he and the rest of his guild watched Bacchus be carried away to their makeshift infirmary since their guildhall was destroyed during the battle.

"That drake was able to make him realize something he wasn't ready to." Goldmine answered in a solemn tone as he looked over at said drake. Who looked even worse than his partner after their Ace was through with him.

"And what was that exactly?" he asked hesitantly, not really sure if he actually wanted to find out.

"That we humans are quick to turn on each other, especially once the one thing that united us goes away." was his cryptic reply before he started to bark out orders to the rest of his guild members. This only confused Warcry even more and he was about to go after his guild Master and ask him to elaborate but his foot caught something before he could. It was one of the gourds that Bacchus would store his alcohol in, but as he picked it up his nose caught a scent that didn't belong.

"Bacchus, please say that you didn't just do what I think you did." he mumbled to himself before crushing the gourd in his grip and tossing it to the side.

 **At Blue Pegasus:**

"Are we really going through with this?" inquired Eve as their entire guild was spread throughout their city with all of their eyes looking to the skies.

"I don't really like this plan either." chimed in Ren from the roof of a house on the other side of the street.

"I've personally gone over the numbers at least ten different times by myself, and this is our best hope at keeping our losses to a minimum." replied the voice of Hibiki from inside of both of their heads.

"Indeed my darlings, and as much as we wish we could be like those mages from Fairy Tail. We aren't which means we have to go about this our own way." stated Master Bob to all of his mages thanks to Hibiki having them all linked together.

"And I don't disagree with you on that Master, but if our plan succeeds won't that just mean the drakes heading our way will go somewhere else?" asked Jenny, causing a few other members to voice their agreement with her on that.

"Hopefully that won't happen, but if it does all of the surrounding cities and villages have Ichiya's perfume to use if they need to." he replied in a giddy tone.

"They're here!" shouted out a random guild member in a clearly panicked tone.

"Wait until they draw nearer!" commanded Hibiki after seeing a few of their vitals spike, indicating that they were growing scared. And for good reason, two drakes were barreling down on them and they were currently putting all of their hope on one of Ichiya's perfumes.

"Now!" he shouted out, which caused every member of Blue Pegasus to throw a vial containing a strange green liquid to the ground. As soon as the vials shattered they were all meet with the worst smell that any of them have ever smelled before in their entire lives.

"Oh dear god!" coughed out Eve and various other members of their guild as they started to cover their noses.

"Put in your re-breathers you idiots." reminded Jenny in a slightly irritated tone.

"I can still smell it." stated one of the people complaining about the stench from before.

"Of course you do, this elegant perfume of mine won't dissipate just from putting in one of Hibiki's re-breathers. The Salamander's perfume will last for a few days at least." replied Ichiya in an extremely proud voice.

"WHAT!" shouted over half of the guild at the same time.

"Master, please tell me that you didn't know that our beautiful city is now going to smell worse than a stinky armpit for a few days?" Jenny asked in a menacing tone, which most of them knew had an equally menacing look accompanying it as well.

"I did my Dear." was his simple yet happy reply.

"I'm more concerned about what Natsu's reaction is going to be once he finds out that you named the worst smell in the world after him." pointed out Ren, causing a few of his fellow guild members to go pale as their imaginations ran off to a few very dark scenarios. All of which didn't really end very well for Ichiya or their guild for that matter.

"Don't you mean Master Dragneel's." corrected Jenny in a happy tone as Ren let out a quick curse.

"I'm sure that Master Dragneel will love it." declared Ichiya while more than likely striking a weird pose afterwards.

"I think all of you are somehow missing out on the bigger picture here, it appears to be working." pointed out Hibiki, causing the rest of the guild to look back up to the skies and search for two drakes. That they quickly caught sight of as the two of them were continuously backing away from the city while shaking their heads and letting out angry roars of frustration.

"I can't believe that actually worked." commented a random member, even though she definitely wasn't the only one thinking it at the moment.

"Me neither, but I'm still worried about them heading to another city or village and destroying it." replied their poster girl in a very worried tone.

"Given how multiple attacks happened at the exact same time, I've got a feeling that they were ordered to deal with us first." stated Hibiki as he brought up a map of Fiore that showed all of the different areas currently reporting drakes thanks to the EDD devices.

"There's so many." said Eve in an aghast tone as two of the dots disappeared.

"Why did those dots just disappear?" asked another random member of Blue Pegasus.

"I'll give you just one guess." replied Hibiki in a tone that easily conveyed that he had a wide grin spread across his face.

"Fairy Tail." answered a few members at the same time as grins started to spread across all of their faces as well.

 **Meanwhile with the mages of Lamia Scale:**

The once pristine city of Margaret Town could no longer be considered as such; only after just a few minutes of the drakes' assault at least a third of it was reduced to rubble. That figure would have been significantly higher if the mages of their guild weren't able to maintain their wards that were keeping the two drakes at bay. Another factor for the town not being even more destroyed than it already was is thanks to a select few of their members volunteering to go out and fight them.

And one of those said members was just sent flying through one of the evacuated homes of Margaret Town. "Fuck, that really hurt." mumbled Lyon to himself as he slowly pulled himself out of the hole he just made with his body. "My shield can only hold off about three attacks." he made note of as he looked back at the drake that sent him fly only moments ago.

Said drake was currently preoccupied with Max Alors of Fairy Tail, one of the three members that were sent their way. He didn't know the names of the other two mages, which he felt terrible about since they were right now risking their lives to help protect his guild and city. So he made a quick promise to himself that he would make sure to get to know them after they made it out of this.

To his shock and amazement, Max seemed to be handling the one drake on his own quite easily. Granted that didn't mean he was making any progress on taking down said drake, but he was doing an excellent job of keeping the drake's full attention and easily dodging all of the attacks sent his way. Max was able to accomplish this amazing feat through the use of his sand clones and reflexes that Lyon could only assume came from training with all of the dragon slayers on a regular basis. And now that he was forcibly removed from the conflict it allowed the sand mage to unleash a giant sand storm around the two of them which made it even harder on the drake to pinpoint his exact location.

"They're quite impressive aren't they." stated Sherry as she came up to her fellow guild member's side.

"They really are." he replied in a slightly frustrated tone as he clenched his fists.

"The same can be said about you as well Lyon." she said while giving him a reassuring smile. "You're out here fighting against these drakes just like they are, even though the odds are heavily stacked against us. So why don't we show the rest of the world that it's not just Fairy Tail mages that can deal with these annoying drakes." she finished while taking off in the direction of the other drake still rampaging in their town, knowing that he was going to be following right behind her.

"You're right." replied Lyon as a slight smirk spread across his face as he fell into step right next to her. Unfortunately that smirk of his didn't last as they turned around the final corner and came face to face with the other drake. That was now solely focused on the only mage left standing, which was one of the mages from Fairy Tail currently dressed in a skin tight leotard that covered everything but his head. Scattered across the battlefield were the broken figures of their fellow guild mates that neither one of them could tell if any of them were still alive.

"You're quite the agile human, aren't you?" asked the blue and white drake as she continuously sent attack after attack at the lone mage. Who instead of looking as if he was in a fight looked more as if he was in some sort of play as he continued to dance and twirl out of the way of the deadly claws and teeth directed at him.

"Yes, but that is only thanks to years of my life being dedicated to perfecting the world's greatest dance." declared the Fairy Tail mage as he leapt over a claw sent his way and landing on his hands. That he then kept firmly planted there as he swung his feet down to dodge another attack that would have caused him to lose his legs.

"He needs help." coughed out one of the already fallen members of Lamia Scale, causing Lyon and Sherry to both snap back out of their shocked trances that they accidentally slipped into. They both then had looks of horror wash over their faces upon figuring out who was speaking to them, Yuka Suzuki. Instead of seeing the proud Wave Mage that both of them had grown accustomed to seeing, they now were looking down at a man literally on Death's doorstep begging for them to help the mage from Fairy Tail.

"My god." exclaimed Sherry as she covered her mouth and looked on in horror at all of his injuries. As she was doing this, Lyon on the other hand sprang into action and started to freeze some of his friend's more grievous wounds so he wouldn't bleed out on them.

"He won't last much longer by himself." stated Yuka through clenched teeth as he held back a pain filled scream.

"And neither will you if I don't freeze some of these wounds." declared Lyon as he continued to close some of the wounds with his ice.

"I'll go and check on the others." said Sherry as she took off to check on her fellow guild members scattered about the place.

"No!" shouted out Yuka while coughing up some blood. "He needs your help now or none of us are going to make it!" he declared while trying to stand up but was forced back down by the ice mage kneeling next to him.

"But…" she started to reply with an extremely conflicted look washing over her face.

"He's correct my Dear, which is why I'll be the one to help our friend from Fairy Tail." replied Master Ooba as she slowly hobbled past them.

"Master, I thought you were overseeing the wards." stated Lyon in shock as he looked up at his elderly Master.

"The others are doing just fine with that, and besides, I couldn't just sit back and let you guys have all the fun now could I?" she replied while not looking back at the two of them. And despite her cavalier attitude, the conscious members of Lamia Scale could tell that she was beyond pissed and was going to make that drake pay for hurting her mages.

"What's this?" asked the drake in a taunting tone as she looked over at the elderly woman heading her way. "Twinkle Toes here needs help from someone that is already halfway in the grave." she continued to taunt while trying to slash the dancing mage from Fairy Tail in half.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover?" he asked the drake back as he twirled and twisted his way until they were a few yards away from each other.

"I'm afraid that we don't have a saying like that, but Dragneel has made it abundantly clear to most of us that dragon slayers are full of surprises." answered the drake with a little chuckle. "Unfortunately for all of you I can tell that none of the humans gathered here today are a slayer, so none of you have any hope of making it out alive." she declared before lunging forward at him.

But to her shock she veered left, not of her own accord, but by some unknown force that she could still feel pulling her body. And this force kept moving her until she was facing the opposite direction of her intended target.

"Be that as it may drake, but I'm certain that you and your kind will soon realize that it's not just dragon slayers that you need to fear from us humans." said Master Ooba as she continued to walk towards the drake with one of her hands in the air as the other held onto her cane.

"Is this your doing?" she asked in a slightly shocked tone as she twirled back around to look at the old woman walking towards her with nothing but rage in her eyes.

"It is." was Ooba's simple reply before she twirled her finger and spun the drake into one of the few remaining buildings. "One can only sit back for so long and watch her young ones fight for the simple wish of just surviving, before saying it's enough and then doing something about it."

"So you've had enough is it?" she asked as a grin slowly spread across her face; letting all of them see her jagged teeth that were slightly covered in the blood of their comrades.

"Yes." replied the elderly Master of Lamia Scale as she once again spun the drake into another building.

"Sorry to break it to you human, but spinning me like you are is only postponing the inevitable." declared the drake in an annoyed snarl.

"True, but that should be enough and it'll prevent you from hurting anymore of my members." she stated with a small smirk as she continued to spin the white drake before she could even attempt to attack them again.

"Are you so sure about that?" asked the drake as the temperature started to drop rapidly while frost also started to spread outwards from her as well.

"Why yes, we just so happen to have a mage in our guild who specializes in your type of magic." she answered as shields of ice quickly formed in front of her and all of the other wounded mages scattered across the place.

"Good, I was actually getting a little hungry." replied the drake as she started to suck in the ice shields. But after sucking in the first one she started to make choking noises that were cut off by her being twirled into one of the many piles of rubble that surrounded them. "What trickery is this?" she bellowed while righting herself.

"Did you really think I would be stupid enough to give you a free power boost like that?" Lyon inquired from his position in front of a group of other mages he used to be attending to. "It's good to finally confirm that you're just like dragon slayers in that aspect, well most of them that is." he stated as a certain pink haired one flashed across his mind since he seemed to always do the impossible.

"So you hid things in your ice, very clever human, but you aren't the only one that can adapt on the battlefield." said the drake with a smug grin as Ooba tried to spin her again but couldn't for some reason. She and Lyon watched in horror as the drake reared her head back for what they knew was going to be a roar. That both of them would have been okay with if it was heading their way, but that wasn't the case as they watched the drake point at their helpless friends and comrades.

Both of them watched helplessly as a large stream of ice started to barrel down from the drake in front of them at a small group of injured mages. It was also at this point that they realized how the drake stopped Ooba from spinning her; which was thanks to her freezing her own feet to the ground in some very thick ice. But that didn't really matter to either of them as the roar edged closer and closer to their unsuspecting friends that were still wounded from earlier.

" **DOLL ATTACK: STONE!** " came the desperate scream of Sherry, causing a giant golem made out of the bricks and stones from all of the destruction to form right in front of the incoming attack. Causing all of the mages watching to let out a sigh of relief as the stone golem stood strong against the icy roar. This also seemed to catch the drake off guard since she did nothing as said golem charged at her and landed a really hard hit to the top of her skull. Resulting in her head slamming into the ground where the golem continued to slam its stony fists into her while she was unprotected.

Sherry and Lyon shared a quick smile with each other, neither of them thinking that they would actually be doing this well against one of these ferocious beasts. But that smile of theirs was quickly lost as an enraged roar rang out while Sherry's doll was smashed to bits by just one swing from the now pissed off drake before them. That now had jagged ice formations forming on various parts of her body, making her even deadlier than she already was.

"Don't give up just yet you two, we've already proven that we're capable of dealing with her when we're working together." stated Master Ooba as the other two watched in stunned silence as the drake's own tail slammed into its face.

"Damn right Master!" declared Lyon as he got into his Ice Make stance as Sherry formed another stone golem from the nearby rubble.

 **Back with Max:**

"You've put up a valiant fight human, much longer than I ever would have thought possible." stated the steel covered drake as he smashed another sand clone of Max with his tail. "But I can already see the signs of fatigue slowly setting in, your little dolls of yourself are becoming sloppier with each and every one of them." he said while looking through squinted eyes for the troublesome mage responsible for the sandstorm raging around him.

"Did you know that your scent would be harder to find in all of this sand?" he inquired after getting no response from the elusive mage. "Or was that just a happy accident you're just now finding out?" he asked right before his left flank was hit by a stream of condensed sand. This caused him to quickly twist towards the direction that the attack came from and start slashing away, but like every other time he did this he only destroyed another building instead of his intended target.

"I've known that it would help mask my scent, I just didn't think that it would help this much considering Master Dragneel seems to still be able to find me." replied Max from within the whirling sand.

"Ah, the fabled son of Igneel." the drake responded in an extremely sarcastic voice. "Defender of mankind, and the one to fight against Acnologia and actually live to see another day." he continued to say in the same tone. "I really wanted to see if he lives up to the legend that our kind is starting to spread about him, but alas I won't be able to since he's off gallivanting around elsewhere." he finished in an extremely disrespectful tone, in the hopes that the human he was up against would lose his cool.

"Did you really expect me to charge at you just because you were speaking ill of my guild Master?" inquired Max in a surprisingly cheery tone which really irked the drake.

"I had hoped, your kind is usually really easy to manipulate into acting irrationally." he answered with a slight growl at the end.

"Sorry, but we all know better than to let one of you drakes pull such an easy trick on us." stated the sand mage before unleashing another attack on the drake's left flank.

"It would seem that Dragneel is also smarter than we gave him credit for, which wasn't much considering he still thinks that we can settle things peacefully between our kinds." he said while now having his eyes completely closed and focusing on any sounds the human might accidentally give off. Something that he soon realized the human more than likely figured out as well since he didn't say anything else as he stood there silently.

Until he finally got what he was waiting for and like a bolt of lightning he struck. But unlike all of the other times he attacked, this time he felt the satisfying sensation of one of his claws sinking into flesh and bone as a violent scream of pain rang out. That was then followed by the sandstorm ceasing just a few seconds later, revealing to the drake his prey leaning up against a wall clutching his left arm that was barely still connected to the rest of the man's body.

"You've fought well human." he stated while looking down at the human defiantly glaring up at him. "Before I send you on your journey of everlasting sleep I'll give you the honor of hearing my name."

"There's no honor in hearing the name of a beast that takes any joy in the killing of the innocent." Max hissed back at the drake, knowing full well that it wasn't in his best interest to do so.

"None of you humans are innocent, and you might not find any honor in it but our kind does and I would like to know yours as well." he said now just a few feet away from the downed Fairy Tail mage.

"Go to hell." he spat out while still glaring up at his imminent demise.

"So be it human, when you pass over to the afterlife let everyone there know that the Great Tesselth sent you." declared the now identified Tesselth before bringing down his right foot onto him. Only to have a confused expression come over his face after not feeling the usual sensation of a human's life being extinguished under his might.

"It would seem I arrived just in the nick of time." replied a deep voice from behind the drake. That belonged to none other than Jura Neekis, one of the Ten Wizard Saints and Ace of Lamia Scale.

"Oh, another human that thinks he can actually stand against our kind." stated Tesselth as he spun around to face off against his next opponent, no longer caring about his previous opponent.

"Far from it drake, I know that your kind easily out powers ours." he said while coming to a stop just a few yards away from him. "But that doesn't mean we'll just sit back and let you walk all over us, **IRON ROCK FIST!** " he shouted out while thrusting one of his arms forward. Prompting a large fist to shoot from the ground and slam straight into the drake's chest and sent him skidding back a few yards.

"Impressive, I actually felt that but I'm now curious if you can take as good as you give." chuckled Tesselth before rearing back his head and sending a torrent of iron shrapnel at the Wizard Saint. Who without even flinching countered it with an **IRON ROCK WALL** that luckily held off the roar with the last pillar just barely remaining intact.

"I know of a certain dragon slayer that would have loved to face off against you, but alas he won't be able to do so, now it falls to me to deal with you." stated Jura as a slight hint of excitement could be seen in his eyes. " **ROCK AVALANCHE!** " he then shouted out as rocks from the surrounding rubble started to fly towards the drake until he was completely encased by them. Only for them to be sent flying as Tesselth let out a mighty roar while also displaying his impressive wings at the same time.

"You're going to be even more fun than the human before you." chuckled the drake before they both charged at each other while both of them looking extremely excited.

 **On an extremely luxurious ship still at least a full day's travel away from Fiore:**

"What's the matter Natsu?" inquired Zeref as he came up to the railing that the dragon slayer was leaning against. Over the last hour the usually talkative dragon slayer hadn't said a single word to any of them, which wasn't really that odd if he was reading from that book of his. But during this time he didn't even so much as even bring it out and instead looked off in the direction of Fiore with an extremely serious look.

"I've got a feeling that something terrible is happening in Fiore right now." he mumbled back without even sparing the Emperor of Alvarez a single glance like he usually would have.

"Is that so, from what I've heard a dragon slayer's instincts are rarely ever wrong." replied Zeref only for the pink haired Ambassador of Fiore to let out a tired sigh and shrug his shoulders. "You do have a communication lacrima don't you, so if there was a problem going on I'm sure they would have contacted you by now." he pointed out with a weak smile, sad to see Natsu in such a worried state.

"I do, but for some reason it all of a sudden stopped working yesterday after my conversation with my family." he explained while pulling out said communication lacrima and handing it over to his newest friend. Letting the leader of one of the world's strongest countries take a look at it for himself, which he did for a few minutes until he passed it back with a slight frown.

"Everything appears to be fine with it." he said while scratching his chin in thought.

"That's what I thought, and I've destroyed enough of them to almost know every possible way for them to stop working." he replied, causing Zeref to let out a little chuckle at Natsu since that seemed to be a common reason for him to know something.

"If you want I could have one of my engineers look at it." offered Zeref with a hopeful look sent the dragon slayer's way. That soon turned into a full blown smile as Natsu was then hugging him the next second and thanking him over and over again. "It's the least I can do Natsu, especially after you stayed a few extra days to spend more time with me." he said after getting him to let go of him and motioning for one of his attendants to come over.

"That won't be necessary your Excellency." stated Invel as he came up to the duo and waved off the attendant heading their way.

"And why is that exactly?" inquired Zeref as a dark expression came over his face as he locked eyes with his Country's Emissary and Chief of Staff.

"Because I've cut off all communication that isn't a direct line between us and our homeland." he stated in a completely calm voice, almost as if he wasn't receiving such a dark look from his Emperor.

"And why exactly would you do that?" asked Zeref as his expression somehow became even darker and a few of the sailors on the ship passed out for some reason.

"As you know, the Council wouldn't hesitate to take out this ship if they found out you were on it." he explained while taking a few steps back and now also sporting a slightly nervous look.

"Even with their own Ambassador on board?" shouted out Zeref while gesturing over to Natsu who surprisingly had yet to speak up. Invel could already see that Zeref was extremely displeased with him and was more than likely not going to listen to reason on this. Like he always seemed to do whenever it concerned the pink haired dragon slayer, but luckily said dragon slayer decided to finally speak up before things got even worse.

"I'm ashamed to say this, but he's not wrong Emperor Spriggan, I could definitely see the Council rationalizing that my life for the life of yours would the best that they could ever hope for. Especially since I've pretty much been a constant thorn in their side since joining Fairy Tail." stated Natsu with a slight scowl spread across his face.

"Those bastards, and yet you're still willing to work underneath such people?" he asked in an extremely upset tone that was downright terrifying.

"I don't do what I do for those old coots, but for the rest of the country and my family." replied Natsu as a fond smile took up residence on his face as he thought about everyone in Fairy Tail.

"They don't realize how lucky they are to have someone like you in their country." he said while slowly calming back down and making it once again easier to breathe for everyone else on board.

"It doesn't really matter to me if they ever figure that out, so long as I can protect the ones that I care about I couldn't care less. Which brings me back to the whole having a bad feeling and not being able to contact my guild." he said while turning and holding his communication lacrima out to Invel.

"Sorry but I can't help you for the same reasons we just discussed." replied the bespectacled man as he bowed his head towards the dragon slayer to show his condolences.

Natsu was about to protest, but before he even had the chance to speak up Zeref beat him to it. "That is completely unacceptable Invel, I hereby order you to cease blocking his communication lacrima or do I need to remind you of your current position." he said in that cold tone of his that would send a shiver down anyone's spine.

"No, your Excellency." he quickly replied while still bowing from before. After which he pulled a small device from his pocket and pressed two different buttons before looking over at Natsu with a blank expression. "I'm sorry if my actions in assuring the protection of my Emperor inconvenienced you in any way. I'll take my leave, but before I do so Irene Belserion requested that I make sure you receive this." he said while pulling out a small ornate box from one of his coat's inside pockets. And with another quick bow to the both of them he headed away at a brisk pace.

"Do you have any idea what this is?" asked the dragon slayer as he looked over at Zeref with a questioning look plastered across his face. The box he was handed was completely white with golden engravings carved into it that he instantly realized to be draconic, but was slightly curious to see if the Emperor of Alvarez did as well. But it would seem that fate had other plans as the communication lacrima in his other hand started to go off, that he then proceeded to open after getting a quick nod from his friend.

It would have been an extreme understatement to say that he was surprised after seeing that he missed at least seventy different calls and had more than twenty messages left for him. But none of that really mattered to him at the moment as he realized that he was currently getting a call from Ultear's personal communication lacrima. Causing him to quickly answer it as the large knot he had in his stomach for a while now only got bigger as the lacrima fired up to show an image of Liza instead of his wife.

"Daddy, you finally answered." Liza shouted out excitedly only for her face to quickly shift to a serious one that he rarely ever saw her use. "You need to come back right away. Drakes are attacking all over the place and a whole lot of them are destroying our home right now." she declared while looking back at him with the same serious expression.

"They're attacking the guild?" he asked her back in a panicked tone that he didn't even bother in trying to hide from her. "Are the barriers still holding out? Are you and everyone else in the guild still safe?" he asked almost instantly after his first question, not even giving his daughter a chance to answer. "How many are we talking about? And where is your mother and siblings?" he continued to rapidly ask without letting up.

"DAAAAD!" she yelled as loud as she could, knowing that it was the only way to get him to actually listen to her at the moment. "Me, Asher, Ava, and Milo are completely fine dad. They haven't even gotten past your first set of runes, and are instead attacking the rest of the town." she explained as a sad look came over her cute little face. "Everyone that you said was ready to fight is out there helping others just like you would've wanted. And mom went to go change so she can help out too, since I heard her say that there were at least fifty drakes attacking right now and they would definitely need her help." she finished explaining as a conflicted look now washed over her visage.

"Liza, if your mom is going out to fight them then I need you to watch over your siblings while she's gone. This is a task I can only count on you to do, which I know you'll have no problem doing." he replied while giving her a proud grin. "Do you know if Uncle Doranbolt has tried to reach me at all?" he asked, getting a negative shake of her head from the little girl right away.

"But most of the other guilds have." she stated with a proud grin, happy that her dad was giving her such an important job and a little proud in herself at relaying all of this information to him.

"Thanks Honey, and don't you worry, Daddy is going to be back before you even know it. And he's going to make those drakes regret ever stepping foot in Fiore." he declared while giving her another one of his signature grins.

"Go get them Daddy!" she cheered, before he then shut off the lacrima.

"I'm so sorry Natsu, I had no idea that any of that was happening." stated Zeref as Natsu's head lowered so that he couldn't read his facial expression.

"That better be true, otherwise I'll be the one starting this war you keep saying is in the future." he replied before shooting into the sky and disappearing, leaving only a small streak of flames in his wake.

"Invel, if that comes to fruition I don't think I need to tell you how bad that will end for you." Zeref declared with an extremely displeased expression as he looked out in the direction that Natsu just vanished in.

 **End of Chapter**

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Thanks for reading this story of mine, that I'm still shocked it's doing as well as it is. But I guess that just means there are a lot of us out there that want to see Natsu trying his hand at being the guild Master. So I'm constantly getting asked when the Tenrou Group is returning, which once again makes me feel great since it shows that people are excited for the future of this story. And to answer that for all of you, I am planning to have that done by at least chapter fifty in this story. So in other words it could still be a ways off since I do have a few more things I want to show that take place before they finally return. I'm also extremely excited for their return since that is going to offer so many things for me to write about, such as how Natsu will handle any of the possible women that were interested in him. Or how he'll handle some of them not seeing him as their guild master and only as the idiotic friend that they knew from before. Honestly the possibilities are almost endless once I get to that part, not to mention showing how the Tenrou group will react to the new members of the guild and how much the world has changed as well. Well that's enough of me talking about what might happen in the future of this story of mine, so as always feel free to pm or leave a review and I'll try to get back to you as soon as I can.**

 **Until the next Chapter**

 **Digem Out!**


	38. The War Wages On

Ch 38: The War Wages On

 **Early morning hours of January 29th, X789 in Magnolia:**

The once proud city of the Fiore's number one guild was now being laid waste to by six angry drakes, which used to be ten until four of them took off. As to what exactly upset them is fairly simple, so far none of them have so much even seen a single human. Meaning that they haven't had the pleasure of any sort of fight, or for some of the more sinister ones it also meant they haven't gotten to eat any of the lower life forms as they like to call them. And to make it even worse for all of them, the place that reeked of Natsu and the other dragon slayers was heavily guarded by wards and runes that they could tell would take an extremely long time for even them to bust through.

Thus why they are currently rampaging across the rest of the city and destroying everything in the hopes of finding a few cowering humans. A hope that a few of them were giving up on after not finding a single trace as to where exactly they might be hiding at the moment. And that wasn't the only thing to piss a few of them off, there was also a few other buildings that were heavily modified to stand up against their might throughout the city. A few of them apparently sinking into the earth until only their extremely strong roofs were the only things remaining above ground.

"They're really going at it." commented Kinana as she and a few other guild members watched from the second floor with frowns on all of their faces.

"There's not going to be much of the town left by the time they're done." stated another member that was told to remain at the guild.

"At least they haven't found any of the bunkers yet." mumbled a different member, quickly getting nods of agreement from the rest of them.

"And I don't plan to let them." said Bisca as she and Alzack were in the process of carrying a fairly large sniper rifle upstairs. Who were then lucky enough to receive some extra help with carrying the gun to the highest level of their guildhall.

"Are you sure using that's a really good idea?" asked Kinana, clearly concerned about what the drakes might do in response to being fired at.

"Absolutely, it's better than them starting to look underground for the citizens of Magnolia." replied their resident sharpshooter as she followed after the men now easily carrying her custom made sniper rifle. That, with the help of Natsu, was made for exactly this type of situation that they found themselves in.

"She does raise a good point." commented another random guild member.

"But didn't Ultear say that she should wait until Reedus is done with whatever he's working on before she starts letting loose on them?" asked a different member.

"Reedus said that he'd need another hour before he's done." answered Kinana while once again sporting a worried expression on her face. That only grew as soon as a certain dragon slayer staggered in through the back doors and could barely keep himself upright. "Eric!" she yelled out in shock as she rushed over to him in the blink of an eye.

"Hey Kinana, those last two weren't as stupid as the first ones." he replied with a little chuckle as she guided him to one of the booths.

"Let me start patching you up." she declared before frantically racing to behind the center bar and pulling out a med kit and rushing back over to him.

"No time, there's still more of them." he stated while trying to get back up, only to be roughly pushed back down by said barmaid that was now looking at him with a steely glare.

"NO! Not until I at least patch you up and give you something to eat." she said as she went about bandaging some of his more severe wounds.

"Fine, but you've got just five more minutes until I'm out of here." he mumbled back with a slight blush, causing the few remaining guild members to start smirking or giggling at him. This only lasted for a second before he gave them one of his terrifying glares that reminded all of them that he used to be their enemy at one point in time and someone they didn't want pissed off at them. One of the most terrifying things he could do was let slip one of your secrets that were more than a little embarrassing.

"How are the rest of them fairing?" he asked just above a whisper so only Kinana could hear him.

"Quatro Cerberus was able to handle the drakes that headed their way and Mermaid Heel is apparently distracting their two and should be able to keep it up for a while. As for the ones that went to Blue Pegasus and the surrounding areas, they've been held off by a strong scent that they warned will probably work on you guys as well." she answered while giving him a quick little smile.

"I could care less about all of them, I'm wondering how the rest of our teams are doing." he said with a little growl that was stopped by a light hit from the woman treating him at the moment.

"You know I can always tell when you're lying." she stated while once again giving him a small smile that he loved seeing on her. "As for our teams, unfortunately we haven't heard back from a lot of them." she continued to say as a worried look washed over her face. "Miia came back a little after your first time and didn't even stay long enough to tell us what happened before heading out to another location that some drakes were detected at. As for Sting and Rogue, we still don't know which I really don't like since they were sent to go deal with the drakes heading to Crocus. Which was supposed to be ten of them, something that I don't even think Natsu could handle on his own." she finished as her hands started to tremble until Cobra's gently covered them.

"Those two are almost an unstoppable force when they're actually working together, which I'm sure they're doing right now so if you're worried about anyone it should be for the drakes they're going up against." he said in a warm tone as the two of them locked eyes. "What about the teams that aren't dragon slayer based?"

"Still almost completely silent on that front as well, except for a few of them that is. Warren's and Laki's teams are apparently doing well against their drakes, but that can only last for so long until they get back up from a dragon slayer." she said as she went back to patching him up. "And if the messages we've received are correct then Jet and Droy might be actually winning against the two that they were sent to deal with."

"What about Ultear and the other three?" he asked, not needing to say any more since Kinana knew exactly who he was inquiring about.

"How did you even know that she left?" she asked him back in a slightly shocked tone only to then roll her eyes as he pointed to his nose. "She went to go help Meredy's team so I'm sure they're all fine. As for Kagura and Kei, I honestly can't imagine either of those two needing help before the others." she finished with a proud smile slowly making its way across her face.

"You have no idea, especially in Kei's case." he said with a slight shiver that Kinana just barely noticed.

"And why exactly do you think that?" she inquired with an eyebrow raised at him.

"Because that girl is probably the strongest one here just after Salamander if my instincts aren't completely off, which they usually aren't." he said while slightly shaking his head at the one time he listened in on her when her guard was down. Needless to say he definitely wasn't expecting to hear two different voices conversing in her head, not to mention the immense amount of power he could also feel just waiting underneath the surface.

"I guess that explains why Master Dragneel had her team as one of the smallest." she replied with another quick smile sent Eric's way.

"So… how many…" he started to ask only to trail off as an extremely sad look came over the barmaid's face.

"How many place didn't we make it to in time?" she asked, knowing that it was what he wanted to ask her. "So far it has been five and will probably be a few more before all of this is said and done."

"What places?" came the cold voice of Miia as she stood in the back entrance of the guild hall. Looking as if she had literally just walked straight out of hell since her outfit was now littered with cuts all over it. And she also had a few burns and cuts spread out on various parts of her body.

"Miia!" replied Kinana before covering her mouth in shock after taking in the woman's current appearance.

"WHAT PLACES!" she shouted out as her purple spirits started to swirl around her menacingly. The barmaid and the rest of the guild were too stunned by the way she was currently acting to reply, but luckily one of the other guild members pointed to a map of Fiore that they had set up and currently had five red X's on it. And before any of them could ask her what the hell was going on she turned on her heels and disappeared through the back exit and no doubt straight into one of their portals.

"What in the world was that all about?" Cobra voiced the question that all of them were wanting to ask.

"One of the first places to fall to the drakes was the village that we were supposed to protect." explained Akiro as he floated into the guild with a sullen look. "She promised them that she wouldn't let it happen to anyone else if they helped her. And now she thinks that she's broken that promise." he finished with a little sniffle at the end.

"It's okay Akiro, she's going to realize that such a promise couldn't be kept. Not even Natsu could keep one like that, and if she doesn't then you and the rest of the guild will make sure that she does." stated Kinana as she brought the purple Exceed into a caring hug.

"Okay." he replied as he hugged her back.

"Well it looks like I need to head back out there." said Cobra as he made his way to the back exit.

"But you still haven't had anything to eat yet." she pointed out only for him to let out a little chuckle and give her a quick dismissive wave over his shoulder. "Eric wait!" she cried out as she raced after him, only catching up to him right before he was about to head through one of the portals.

"I've already told you that I don't…" he started to reply until a pair of soft lips silenced him. At first he was caught off guard by this sudden action of hers but soon reciprocated it, and not only that, but intensified it. Not just because he liked it but because there was something else mixed in with it that his body was craving at the moment, poison. The two of them remained in their intense lip lock until Kinana required air and reluctantly pulled back from him so that he could see her mischievous smirk she currently had on.

"Now you can go." she said before turning away from him and walking back into the guild with a noticeable increase to the sway of her hips. But before she went in she gave the still stunned dragon slayer a quick wink while whispering that she had more where that came from if he made sure to come back to her.

"Shit… You just had to help her learn poison magic didn't you Salamander." he mumbled to himself with a slight blush on his cheeks as he headed through the portal he was standing in front of.

 **With Macao's Team:**

"Why did we have to get picked to head here?" asked Wakaba as he walked behind the two Conbolt men.

"Because Master Dragneel knew that we were some of the few members that wouldn't get into a fight with the mages of Sabertooth." replied Romeo with a bright smile, extremely surprised and happy that he wasn't forced to the sidelines like he thought he was going to be.

"And I'm deeply sorry for that, if you exclude my father and a few others, most of our guild looks up to yours and only wants to help." apologized Minerva as a regretful look quickly flashed over her face before going back to the blank one that she usually had.

"Don't sweat it Minerva, you can't be held responsible for what your father does. And besides, I'm confident that the rest of our guild has already forgiven you guys for what Jiemma forced all of you to do." stated Macao with a little chuckle and grin sent her way. But unlike a certain pink haired dragon slayer, instead of brightening the mood it only unnerved the Lady of Sabertooth a little bit.

"So how far away did you send them this time?" asked the youngest Conbolt with a huge smile sent her way.

"The first two should be back here any minute, as for the other two, well let's just say I'd be extremely surprised if they can find their way outside of that system of tunnels anytime soon." she answered with a proud smirk spreading across her lips.

"I have to admit that being able to transport them to wherever you please is quite handy." pointed out the smoke mage of Fairy Tail as he puffed away on his pipe with gusto since the guild was no longer a place where he could really enjoy his favorite pass time.

"That's not exactly how my magic works, but yes it is indeed very handy since we weren't really ready for them just yet." she replied while trying to hide the faint blush she currently had for being so openly praised for her skills. "Also I won't be able to move any of them again; all I'll now be able to do is move myself and a few others a few more times."

"Well you've already done more than enough Minerva, and with the rest of your guild backing us up I'm sure we'll be able to handle the two of them." declared Macao as two furious roars rang out in the skies, letting all of them know that the drakes were once again drawing near.

"I just wish he was actually helping as well." she mumbled to herself, wondering how someone could be so stubborn when everyone else could easily see that he was in the wrong on this one.

"You won't need him since you've got the two best fire mages in the whole country helping you instead!" said Romeo with a smug grin spread across his face.

"What about Master Dragneel, I'm fairly certain that he is better than the both of you put together." pointed out Wakaba with a smug grin of his own as Romeo lost his and started to stammer and ramble on about Natsu not counting since he was a dragon slayer. While this was going on, Minerva couldn't help but watch in pure fascination at how the mages of Fairy Tail were still joking with each other while two drakes were heading their way.

"Don't mind those two, they just like to argue with each other." commented Macao, clearly having a good guess at what her mind was currently thinking. "And it's better than the alternative, a nervous mage is a tense one and Natsu always likes to say those are the ones that usually make a mistake."

"That's easier said than done." she replied as she glanced over at a few of her fellow guild members, and just from a quick glance she could tell most of them were extremely nervous.

"True, but it only just takes a little bit of practice to do so." he said as the two drakes they heard from earlier finally arrived and were flying above them. And the two drakes remained up there for a few more minutes as the night sky started to cloud over with the occasional thunder ringing out every now and then.

"This is going to be even easier than we thought." stated Minerva as a smug grin slowly spread from ear to ear as a bolt of lightning came crashing down on their city. Causing a few of the gathered mages to let out startled screams, that then turned to stunned silence as all of the other bolts of lightning that were about to rain down on them all veered to a single location in city that was now giving off insane amounts of energy.

"What in the hell was that?" asked Wakaba with his pipe no longer in his mouth thanks to it falling out due to his jaw falling open. Before she could even reply a giant bolt of black lightning shot back into the sky and struck the green drake square in its chest. Causing it then to plummet to the ground where it crashed into a twitching heap, only for another bolt of black lightning to come crashing down on it and driving it further into the ground.

As the dust settled a bulky man with spiky green hair and no shirt was standing on said drake smirking down at it. The gathered mages all watched as a slight smirk graced his lips before he started to send punch after punch of electrically charged fists down on the still paralyzed drake beneath him.

"That Macao, would be one of our newer members." she finally answered as the man continued to mercilessly lay into the downed drake. But in that exact same moment a golden blur swept down and sent the lightning mage flying through a few of the surrounding buildings. Now standing protectively in front of the green drake was the other one, finally letting all of them see its glorious golden scales that glistened in the night sky.

"You'll all pay for using my own lightning against my mate." bellowed the golden drake as lightning arched all across its body menacingly.

"Attack!" ordered Minerva, resulting in all of the mages from her guild and the three from Fairy Tail to charge forward as they unleashed some of their strongest spells.

 **With Kei's team:**

Her team wasn't really a team and more of a duo that consisted of her and Nab, who was thrilled to be paired up with her. And who could really blame him, all of the women in Fairy Tail seemed to be terrifyingly strong when fighting to protect their friends and family. Not to mention that Kei was probably the only member that always got at least one hour of personal training with Natsu when he was actually at the guild. This made one of Fairy Tail's bigger mages curious as to why she received these special lessons from their guild Master that even the other dragon slayers didn't seem to get.

Before the drakes finally showed up they carried on a casual conversation, nothing really too serious. But just as they got into eyesight, Nab was then let in on one of the guild's newer secrets as an overwhelming aura started to roll off of Kei. Causing him to look over at her in concern, only for his eyes to then shoot wide open as the already extremely attractive girl grew more so.

Her bust and hips filled out more as her hair held up in a ponytail became wavy compared to the completely straight way Kei always kept it. Her face remained very similar to what it usually is, but instead just appeared to be what he could only assume what the woman would look like in about ten years. Which was still drop dead gorgeous, something that he couldn't help but think as her attire switched from her usual jacket and skirt into a set of armor that was quite revealing while also still being practical.

"Like what you see big guy?" asked Ares with a smirk as she posed for Nab. Making the poor man start stumbling over himself as he tried to come up with something to say back to her, causing the goddess of war to start giggling at him.

"Doesn't matter if you do since you're never going to be able to touch it unless you want to lose another appendage that is." she said with a little giggle as she looked down at his fake leg. Causing Kei to start screaming at her for being so insensitive to her fellow guild members, which led into her yelling at the goddess of war for a wide variety of other things.

"I didn't know that your magic could do this." Nab finally stated since Kei and Ares were busy yelling at each other in her head.

"Well you do now, but it needs to stay just with you." replied Ares in a sweat tone. "Otherwise, well let's just say I've killed for far less." she ended in a completely serious voice while giving him a smile that sent shivers down his spin. Shivers that only grew as the next second she launched herself into the air with a shield in front of her as she then proceeded to collide with one of the drakes. That she then used as a springboard to launch herself at the other drake, all the while laughing as if she was having the time of her life.

And for the next three hours all Nab really got to do was land the occasional strike on one of the two drakes when they weren't expecting it. Otherwise he pretty much just sat back as he watched what he thought was Kei taunt them as she continued to land heavy blows on them. But what surprised him the most was that she somehow knew things about the drakes that she really shouldn't have. Things that apparently sent both of the drakes into a blind rage that made them extremely sloppy with their attacks and allowed him to get in a few attacks of his own.

By the end of it he looked on in sheer amazement as the two drakes lay defeated in front of one of the guild's possibly nicest members. An image of her that he was starting to think was a complete hoax, as he watched the woman laugh maniacally at the fallen foes before her. Still covered in their blood and gore that he couldn't help but think she purposely made them spill throughout their battle when she definitely could have ended it a quicker and less bloody way at least an hour sooner.

"Kei?" he asked hesitantly as he walked up behind her.

"She's not here." sang out Ares as she turned to grin at the Fairy Tail mage. This caused the poor mage to have a completely lost expression come over his face as he continued towards her. "The name's Ares, and seeing how he ordered you to accompany us I will fill you in on all of this so that the likelihood of you spreading what you just saw here today is less likely." she stated while gesturing to the completely destroyed area outside of the village they were sent to protect.

"But what about them?" he asked while gesturing to the fairly large crowd that gathered on the rooftops of the houses throughout the prolonged fight.

"They don't know what they just saw, other than two mages of Fairy Tail kicking ass and saving their sorry lives." she replied, before going into a quick rundown of her and Kei's situation. "And as I said before, if Natsu trusts you with this information so will I. But if you break that trust not even he will be able to protect you from me." she finished while glaring at him from just an inch away from his face.

"I won't." he stuttered out while at the same time having his hands up in the air.

"You better, Kei really likes it here and I'd really hate for her to lose it because of a stupid man not being able to keep his trap shut." she said while walking away from him and taking a seat on the ground with her legs crossed. "It was a pleasure battling with you Nab, we should do it again in the future." she said while giving him a quick smile that disappeared as she then passed out the next second.

This successfully confused Nab to the point that he really had no idea how to process all of the information just dumped onto him. So instead of trying to figure it out he gently picked up his fellow guild member that returned to how she usually looked and carried her back to the village. Where he would then take them through their portal and back to their guild so Porlyusica could make sure she was still fine. At least physically that is, because he honestly didn't know if his friend's mind would ever be okay with Ares in there.

 **With Jet and Droy:**

"We really did a number on the town didn't we." stated Droy as he rubbed the back of his head nervously as he looked out over the town. A town that wouldn't have stood out from any of the hundreds that were scattered all over Fiore, something that definitely couldn't be said about it anymore. Now the town looked as if it was in an epic battle that took place over a few decades ago.

As to why it now looked as if the battle happened in the past and not just a few minutes ago like it actually did. Most of that would fall on Fairy Tail's strongest plant mage, who through the use of his wide arsenal of seeds completely covered the entire town with plants from all across the country. Of course he needed to do this, otherwise who knows if the two of them would even still be standing at the moment. Granted, both of them were so exhausted that if either of them did pass out it wouldn't shock the other one.

"It's better than the alternative." Jet chuckled while slapping his best friend on the right shoulder blade without even thinking. Causing said best friend to let out a pain filled hiss as he twirled around and delivered a swift punch to the speedster's gut with his left.

"Idiot, who the hell slaps the back of someone with a broken arm?" he asked while not even caring that the punch he just dealt out sent his friend to his knees.

"A forgetful one." coughed out Jet as he got back up to his feet. "And it's not like I got out of this completely unscathed." he said while gesturing to the various cuts across his body. All of which weren't fatal, mainly due to the snug fitting tunic that Natsu made for him a while ago. This of course caused Droy's eyes to go wide as he gestured with his left hand at the rest of his body, which anyone could see was in worse shape than the speedster's.

"Just proves once and for all that I'm the better one out of the two of us." he said with a smug grin, only to then twist out of the way of another punch thrown at him.

"Let's head back, the others probably could use some help." replied Droy as he tossed down a seed that then sprung up a portal right in front of them. That he walked through the next second, causing his partner to make a mad dash for it before it would close up behind him.

 **With Kagura and her Team:**

"Shit!" cursed Kagura as she twisted backwards to dodge a slash and parry the last claw that would've otherwise sliced her in two. At first she thought they had the upper hand in their fight against the two fire drakes, but as they all soon found out that was only because they were just toying with them. Something that they definitely made clear as they started to overwhelm the guild of the city, which she had honestly never heard of before and still couldn't remember after just being told earlier in the day.

"Did you really think that you could take me on with that puny sword of yours?" asked the gray and light blue drake she had been single handedly preoccupying for the last ten minutes.

"It can cut you so why not." she answered while moving her sword so that it was now pointing out behind her.

"True enough I guess, but you have to see that I completely outmatch you in every single way possible." he stated in an amused tone as he took notice of her labored breaths. "You've almost run out of magic haven't you?" he asked in the same tone. "Not only that but you're growing tired as well and have fallen back to only being defensive, when just a few minutes ago you were almost the complete opposite."

"I'm just reassessing the situation." she replied, which in all honesty was the truth, not that he wasn't correct about everything else that he just said as well.

"And what conclusion have you come to human?" he asked, only for Kagura to say nothing back to him as the two of them just stood there staring at each other. "If you're done speaking then I might as well stop too, because I've realized something during our little fight. You humans aren't as weak and helpless as my kind claims you all to be; in fact it's quite the opposite. Even with such small and fragile bodies you're able to actually put up a fight against us and even win." he said with a little smirk as he continued to eye her.

"So your kind can learn, glad to see that Master was correct about that even though I initially thought it was just him once again seeing the best in everyone." she replied while cautiously eyeing the light grey fire drake before her, that she couldn't help but feel was trying to trick her at the moment.

"That we can, which is why I'll let you go and try to save your friends." he said as his smirk started to spread further across his lips.

"Like I would believe you'd let me do something like that, as soon as my back is turned to you you're going to attack." she sneered back at him as her grip tightened on her drawn sword.

"Maybe, maybe not, but if Dragneel's treaty between us has any hope of succeeding we're going to need to start somewhere." he replied with his expression staying the same.

"True, but I don't really think he planned for it to start right after we were just trying to kill each other." she pointed out, only for a deep chuckle to come from the drake before her as he shook his head.

"If I was truly trying to kill you, you'd already be dead little human. But I could smell the faint traces of what I can only assume is Dragneel on you so I didn't and decided to see what you were capable of instead." he stated with an amused tone. "All it would have taken for me to finish you off was to increase the temperature until you couldn't stand on your own anymore. Of course this isn't something that every fire drake can do, but it's something that I've found very helpful in most of my fights." he said while the temperature rose to the point that she could feel the sweat starting to accumulate on her brow.

"Fine, but I still won't be turning my back to you." she finally conceded after standing there a little while longer in silence before slowly starting to back away from him.

"If you had that would've been very foolish of you." replied the gray drake as she continued to back away from him, only to then take off after getting well out of his range of attacks. "I can't wait to see what comes forth from the first treaty between man and drake." he stated to himself before taking off into the air and flying off.

"That traitor!" hissed a pale red drake as he watched his partner fly off, leaving him to deal with the rest of these pathetic humans by himself. Not that he ever really needed any help with that in the first place, but now he knew that his partner was one of the drakes trying to coexist with the humans which infuriated him to no end. So with all of that pent up anger he unleashed another fearsome roar on the humans still trying to fight him off.

He reveled in the screams of agony that soon followed afterwards as his flames tore through whatever measly defenses they tried to use to protect themselves. Watching as more than five different humans took off screaming as his flames ate away at their flesh. This left only a few more humans defiantly standing against him and the rest of the cowards he saw rushing underground when they first arrived. Oh how he couldn't wait to start pulling them kicking and screaming from their little holes in the earth. A little tidbit of information that the rest of his kind would be extremely interested in finding out since it was more than likely a common thing for their cowardly race.

"Do they really think that they have any hope of defeating me?" he thought to himself as he snatched up one of the mages and started to squeeze. Basking in the screams of agony before he then proceeded to clench his fist so hard that the screaming ceased, signaling that another weakling was taken care of. He then proceeded to drop the barely recognizable corpse before the few remaining humans that looked as if they finally realized something that he knew from the very get go.

At least that is what he thought until a white blur flashed past him, leaving in its wake a slight stinging sensation along the underside of his neck. This caused him to let out a slight hiss of pain as he now finally got to see the one responsible for his first actual wound during the entire fight so far. Now standing in front of the other humans was the woman from before, which his former partner declared as his before then moving their fight into another part of the city.

"You're going to pay for this." declared Kagura through clenched teeth as she glared at the fire drake before her. Who upon hearing this from her started to chuckle out loud, as if she had just told him the funniest joke he had ever heard. She could usually deal with her opponents taunting her and overall looking down on her because of being a woman, but what this drake was currently doing irked her like no one ever had before.

 **"SLASHING FORM!"** she yelled before darting between the legs of the still chuckling drake. Something that was assured to stop after receiving a deep cut on the inside of each of his legs from a girl he assumed was all just talk like the rest of the humans before her.

So with an angry snarl he twisted his head backwards to unleash a fiery roar on the female mage sliding to a stop behind him. But unlike all of the wizards before her, Kagura leapt into the air and easily dodged it while at the same time came flying back down at his unprotected backside. Landing once again another cut on the drake that was finally coming to the realization that she could actually give him a fight. This caused said drake's lips to curl up into a twisted grin as he and the woman faced off against each other.

What proceeded between the two of them was a deadly dance of claws and steel, each of them occasionally landing a slight blow on the other. But anyone watching the fight could see that Kagura wasn't going to last much longer, not to mention that she was doing exactly what the drake wanted her to.

"This is where it ends for you human." spat out the drake in complete disgust as he looked down at the panting mage before him. He loathed everything about the human before him, not only was she just as weak as the rest of them, but the only reason she could even put up a fight to begin with was due to her using the scales and claws of his fallen brethren.

"No… The rest of my guild is expecting me to return." she managed to get out while slowly getting back into a defensive stance.

"Then they will be waiting a long time." he replied with a malicious grin coming over his face as he brought up one of his arms to strike her. Knowing that it would only take a few more slashes to overpower her, but it was at this time that he noticed something off about the earth underneath him. He was now sinking into it, which threw him off since none of the mages he had gone up against so far had the capabilities to do this.

"Like this will stop me!" he shouted out while unfurling his wings and starting to flap them. Grinning victoriously as he started to rise out of the earth, that is until he started to feel as if every part of him became heavier. He completely lost his grin when the liquefied earth also started to climb up him and pull him back down.

 **"GRAVITY CHANGE X10!"** Kagura said between pants as she held her left arm out towards the drake still desperately trying to break free.

"If we want to have any hope of defeating him you're going to have to pull out your big guns, Oh Yeah!" declared a new voice as a large figure appeared off to her right. As the figure drew nearer a few things stuck out to her, the first and probably the most unsettling was the large smile he currently had. The next would of course be his long orange hair that he let fall freely down his backside, other than his bigger than average body and his red beaded necklace he looked fairly normal.

"I'm giving it all I've got." she managed to get out before giving her undivided attention back to the still struggling drake.

"I find that really hard to believe, Oh Yeah!" he said while continuously moving his hands and arms, which she quickly realized was directly related to the movements of the liquefied earth. "Someone who constantly gets to train with the Salamander on a daily basis probably doesn't even realize what they are truly capable of until they're put into a situation like this, Oh Yeah!"

"I'm telling you that this is everything." she growled back at him.

"Then you should run while you still can, I'll hold him off for as long as I am able to." replied the stranger as he lost his smile and instead his expression morphed into a completely blank one as he intensified his magic attack already assaulting the drake.

"I can still help." she responded while not letting up her gravity change.

"No!" shouted out the orange haired earth mage while not even bothering to look over at her. "If that is actually all you're capable of, then staying here will only just add one more body to this drake's already substantial count." he stated as the drake was actually starting to slowly rise from the ground that was trying to swallow him whole.

"Running won't save you." chuckled the drake as he looked over at her with a little smirk as he licked his lips. "I'm going to enjoy eating you while you're still breathing, which in my opinion makes you humans taste even better than normal." he said while turning his head towards the newest human to go up against him. As soon as he did he reared back his head and let loose a roar of fire at the orange haired earth mage.

Kagura could only look on in horror as the flames quickly engulfed the stranger, which she was sure would be the end of him. But to her and the drake's surprise, instead of finding nothing but a charred corpse they were now looking at a dome of hardened earth. That the next second turned into liquid and fell to the ground, revealing a completely fine and somewhat upset earth mage glaring back at the drake.

"I haven't had the honor of facing off against the Salamander's flames, but even with that just said, I know that yours are weak by comparison." the earth mage stated as his liquid earth intensified in its attempt at pulling the drake into the ground, causing the two of them to come to a standstill. "Now Go!" he shouted while looking over at Kagura with a pleading look before snapping his head back to his current foe.

 **"GRAVITY CHANGE X100!"** shouted out Kagura as she leapt into the air above the drake that was now sinking into the earth at an alarming rate. As she reached the peak of her jump she brought out Dragon's Regret and positioned it so that it was pointing directly downwards while firmly being held in both of her hands. By this point the drake's head and part of his wings were the only things sticking out from underneath the ground.

In the blink of an eye she was back on the ground, it would have probably been more accurate to say she was now crouching on the head of said drake. With her sword buried so far into his skull that the hilt was pressed firmly against his pale red scales. The few onlookers watched on in complete awe as she stood back up and proudly raised Fairy Tail's sign into the air before passing out and falling to the ground. But before she could hit the hard earth it shot up to her and gently caught her and moved her away from the drake and over to the stranger that seemed to appear out of nowhere.

"It's good to see that the mages of Fairy Tail are still as stubborn as always and doing the impossible, Oh Yeah!" said the orange haired mage as he looked down at Kagura with a faint smile. And after he checked to make sure that she was fine he brought out a small device and pushed a button on it as he walked away from the completely flabbergasted citizens and mages watching from the sidelines. Before any of them snapped out of their stunned states he was gone, leaving the rest of them to tend to the wounded.

 **With Danny in Crocus:**

All Daniel could think right then was that it wasn't supposed to be like this. He had actually thought that he was no longer as naive as he once was, and along with that he also believed that he now was able to protect the country just like Natsu continuously did. Now this isn't to say that he thought he was even close to matching the Master of Fairy Tail in power or experience, but he didn't need to. He had the full might of the Council backing him, which meant that he wasn't going to be fighting these drakes all by himself like Natsu seemed to prefer to do if given the option.

After his thorough defeat at the hands of said dragon slayer, the Council opted for a different approach with him from that day on. Instead of him going out to face off against these mythical beasts by himself he would now have his own personal squad to help him out. This was something Daniel didn't really want, but after seeing how wrong he was about what drakes were actually capable of he accepted it and even helped train them. The following months passed in a flash and by the end of it he and his team had taken on four different drakes all by themselves.

Granted the drakes were always alone, but that didn't mean he and his group didn't have to be extremely careful. And because of their continued success his troops started to think that they could pretty much handle anything that the drakes could send their way. This was one of the main factors that caused their current situation to go from an actual battle to a complete massacre. Something that Daniel didn't even consider possible when they also had three battalions of Rune Knights fighting alongside them and even a battalion of Royal Guards as well.

Unfortunately that was before they realized that ten drakes were heading their way, and as soon as they did it was already too late. The drakes were upon them and tearing through their ranks as if they weren't even there; almost going completely unchecked as they tore into the capital city. This made the city and the fighting grounds in front of it turn into complete and utter chaos. The sounds of the conflict were almost deafening to him, hearing the constant screams of agony before someone's life was quickly snuffed out or the never ending sounds of spells being cast. All of it was almost too much for him as he tried to fight off two of the drakes on his own, once again realizing that he had a really long way to go.

As his fight dragged on he came to the unsettling realization that the two drakes fighting against him were only just distracting him as the other drakes annihilated the rest of their opposition. This also included the rest of his team that were so sure of themselves just a single hour ago, oh how quickly can one's perspective change. Daniel could only let out a sad chuckle as he thought that, taking note that four of the drakes seemed to vanish during all of the commotion.

"Looks like the little dragon slayer has finally figured out that he's screwed." chuckled the orange fire drake that had been keeping him busy with the help of a purple one. With the orange one easily being the biggest one he's seen so far, which also includes the ones he had only seen through the video lacrimas of Natsu's fights.

"It's quite the shame really, if this hatchling had a few more years of training he'd have actually been an opponent." commented the purple one as she slowly made her way to his other side.

"That or if he had actually trained under that Dragneel fellow for a little while." said the first one as a wicked grin spread across his maw. "Honestly we didn't know that there were other dragon slayers out there still not in that little nest of his. But low and behold, here you are, still as green as a new born. Something that can't be said about Dragneel's bunch, who apparently aren't to be underestimated if those reports from our scouts are to be trusted." he continued to say as he too started to stalk around Daniel like his partner, both of them waiting for the opportune time to strike.

"Unfortunately I'm now realizing how true you are about that." replied Danny with a sad chuckle as his head lowered. This was exactly what the two drakes were waiting for and with almost perfect synchronization they lunged at him, giving him very little space to escape.

But neither of them knew he had no intentions of trying to escape and just as they were mere inches away from him he bellowed out a single spell. **"LAVA DRAGON'S MIGHTY ERUPTION!"** resulting in both of them getting a face full of lava that they unfortunately accidentally ate as well while they were thrown back. Which was only the beginning for the two of them as the lava in the air spread into two different streams that arched until they came plummeting back down on them.

And due to both of them accidentally eating a fair amount of lava just moments ago they were forced to gag in immense pain as it fell on them. This resulted in two horrendous roars of pain to ring out as the streams of lava continued to pummel into them for two entire minutes. As the lava finally ceased its constant assault on the two drakes, all that was left of them were a few bones here and there.

"My first encounter with him made me realize that some of my spells still need some work." stated Danny in between haggard gasps for air, before falling to his knees in exhaustion. Once again causing a sad smile to come over his face as one of the other drakes in the distance took notice of his last move and decided now was their time to face off against him. Little did the drake know that he had absolutely nothing left in him after that move, which only became even more taxing on him after tweaking it so that it wouldn't destroy everything in the surrounding area like it once did.

"I wonder what it would've been like to join a guild like Fairy Tail." he said as the drake came to a stop in the air just above him, letting him take in its silver scales. They glistened like nothing he had ever seen in the rising sun light that was just starting to crest over the horizon. "They somehow seem to always be having fun." he continued to say with a sad chuckle as the drake reared back its head and started to suck in large amounts of air. "Even in times like these… It must be because they really are a family." he mused to himself as he closed his eyes for what he thought was going to be his last time.

Instead of being encompassed in some sort of roar like he expected, he was shocked to feel the ground shake as the unmistakable roar of a drake in pain rang out. So he hesitantly opened his eyes and what he saw brought tears of joy to his face. The drake that was going to easily end his life just seconds earlier was now being assaulted by a streak of white, while at the same time appeared to be fighting its own shadow. He instantly knew who was responsible for this even though he had yet to actually meet them, but that didn't mean he was ignorant to the two youngest dragon slayers of Fairy Tail and their accomplishments.

And for the next few minutes he once again sat back and watched on as mages of Fairy Tail took on not just one but three different drakes at once. Since it appeared that the Twin Dragon Slayers of Fairy Tail were already in a fight with two other drakes before rushing over to him and preventing his imminent demise. Danny couldn't help but admire the teens that fought as if they were one, when one's back was unguarded the other one would be there to protect it. Not only that but while on the offensive they were just as impressive, stringing together attacks that the other one would follow up on and add another devastating attack for good measure.

"To think that I'd run into the brat of Weisslogia." hissed out a completely white drake as she glared over at Sting who had an enormous grin spread across his face. The dragon slayer's current appearance wasn't his usually well-kept one, no right now he was completely covered in blood to the point that you couldn't tell what the color of his clothes used to be.

"That does have to suck." replied the blonde dragon slayer as his right hand tightened on the katana he had strapped to his back. And Sting being himself had to make himself stand out by having it upside down, which really wasn't hard for Cid to accommodate. But it did require him and Natsu to rework the white blade since Sting only told them after they had already completed it. "Especially when your teammates aren't half as good as mine." he finished while gesturing over his shoulder at Rogue who currently was laying into the silver drake that wasn't looking too good at this point.

"True enough little slayer, but I think you're forgetting that our numbers will easily overwhelm yours." she stated as two roars could be faintly heard in the distance. And as they were saying this they were both slowly walking in a circle so the other one stayed right in front of them.

"Oh we're not forgetting something like that." he said as he let go of his sword and brought both of his hands in front of him where a ball of white started to form in between them. This only caused the drake squaring off with him to start chuckling since they have already been over this.

"Didn't you learn from the last time you tried something like that?" she asked as she came to a stop, getting ready for a power boost. "I'll just eat it like you've done every time with mine." she stated as his magic only flared up even more as a blinding light started to shine off of him.

"Then go ahead and try to eat this!" he shouted out as he brought his charged up spell to his left side. The white drake could only smile at the idiotic boy's futile attempt, but for some reason she felt as if something wasn't right. Her assumption was indeed correct when she finally heard the name of his attack, or at least the second word of it and who was saying it.

 **"HOLY SHADOW DRAGON'S FLASH FANG!"** shouted out Sting with Rogue joining in on the shadow part as he flipped out from behind him. With both of their hands containing each of their respective elements that at first resisted being so close to each other as they were. Only for them to then swirl around each other before joining together and becoming a purple ball of sheer destruction that was then hurled at the white drake. Who at that time realized Sting had repositioned her so she was standing in front of her two partners that were just barely getting back up.

"Well done brat, Weisslogia would be proud." she stated with a small smirk as the attack came rushing at her. What followed after was an enormous explosion that engulfed the three drakes and continued outwards, completely destroying everything in its path. Even the few buildings that up till this point somehow survived the destructive fight that ensued throughout the area, only to now be reduced to nothing, luckily all of the citizens had already been evacuated.

At this point Danny couldn't help the little chuckle that escaped his lips as he got to witness first hand Fairy Tail's knack at destroying things like it was their job. A reputation that he used to believe was mainly due to their Master, but was just now proven incorrect as he looked over an entire block reduced to nothing because of their Twin Dragon Slayers.

"So you're the Council's Dragon Slayer." stated Sting as he slowly made his way over to Danny with Rogue at his side looking as equally exhausted as his partner.

"For now at least… And thanks for saving me back there." he mumbled while trying to give the two of them his best smile but could only muster up a tired one. Only for him to lose it the next second when he noticed something heading their way behind the two dragon slayers. "Not to sound ungrateful or anything like that, but please tell me that you two have enough fight left in you guys to take on them." he said while pointing to two drakes currently heading their way.

"Nope, I'm all tapped out." replied Sting with a huge smile spread across his mug as he plopped down next to his fellow dragon slayer.

"That'll happen when we take on a total of six of those bastards between the two of us." commented Rogue as he joined the two of them on the ground. This caused Danny to look between the two of them, now sporting a flabbergasted expression since this was not how mages of Fairy Tail were supposed to act. From what he's been told and actually seen, they would never give up like this and fight to the bitter end even without magic.

And just when he was about to tell the two of them that, he finally comprehended what Rogue had just said to him. This only caused him to look at the two younger dragon slayers in disbelief; together they were able to do three times as much as he was able to accomplish. Danny also had the feeling that they didn't struggle nearly as much as he did in doing it either, which was a testament to the training they received under Dragneel's supervision.

"You two actually took on six of them?" he asked, getting a nod of affirmative from both of them as they kept their eyes locked on the approaching drakes. "Damn… I just barely took on two of them and that probably would've been zero if they didn't underestimate me." he said with a sad chuckle at the end.

"I'm afraid they will no longer be doing that once this is all said and done." stated Rogue as he laid down with his hands going behind his head to serve as a makeshift pillow.

"You got that right, especially after some of them were taken out by non-slayers." chimed in Sting as he followed his partner's example and got into a more comfortable position.

"What in the hell are you two doing?" asked a completely confused lava dragon slayer as he frantically looked between the two of them.

"Enjoying some well-deserved rest." answered Sting as he closed his eyes with a content smile spread across his face.

"WHAT!" he shouted back just before two infuriated roars rang out from what felt like nearby.

"You heard him." commented Rogue in his usual neutral tone. "And I would suggest you do the same since we're going to more than likely need your help back in Magnolia later on." he finished as he too closed his eyes.

"How in the hell do you expect me to help you guys later if we're all going to die in less than a minute!" he shouted while frantically waving in the direction of the two approaching drakes.

"Don't worry about them." was Sting's lazy reply while giving a dismissive wave. Danny was at this point about to lose it on the both of them, but was cut off by another roar echoing throughout the now destroyed capital city of Crocus. At first he thought it was another drake, which honestly didn't matter since the three of them weren't going to be able to put up much of a fight in their current states. But to his shock both of the drakes came to a stop before turning back around and heading straight to the source of the other roar.

"What in the world just happened?" he asked while looking at the now smirking Twin Dragon Slayers of Fairy Tail.

"They were just called out by the one person that every single drake is dying to go up against." answered Sting as his eyes reopened; now having a determined look to them. Unfortunately for Danny he still didn't understand exactly what that meant but luckily someone there was willing to fill him in.

"He's talking about our Master." explained Rogue as a faint smile took up residence on his face, only for a pained filled roar to ring out seconds later from within the still smoldering city.

 **Meanwhile in Magnolia:**

"Come on out you cowards!" bellowed an enraged red drake before he unleashed another fiery roar on the guildhall of Fairy Tail. And just like all of the other times he attempted the exact same thing; it was completely useless and harmlessly washed over the enormous building as a red magical barrier could be seen for only a second.

"Would you cut that out Evrag!" shouted out a maroon one as she stopped nursing the wound dealt to her left wing by that infuriating green haired woman. Who in her opinion was the epitome of everything wrong with humans, not willing to face her enemies head on and chose to hide behind those infernal protective barriers of their. That if she was being honest were quite impressive to stand up to their combined might and show no signs of weakening anytime soon.

"Not until we get at least some sort of fight." growled out the now identified Evrag before his head was violently whipped to the side as another shot rang out from the roof of Fairy Tail's guild hall. What followed afterwards was Evrag letting out a frustrated roar before he physically slammed into a different barrier set up around the building, and continued to do so while shouting out curses in his native tongue.

"He may be an idiot, but he's a determined one." stated a yellow drake as it floated down to the maroon one. Before it even touched down, sparks shot off of it and spread out from its now standing position next to probably one of the last semi calm drakes in the city. If you could even call it that after they were through with it, with only a few select buildings remaining intact such as the one they now had surrounded.

"Damnit Tureis, do you have to do that every time you land?" she hissed back at him while also giving him a deadly glare.

"You know I do." he answered with a smirk sent right back at her.

"Well give me a warning next time at least." she said while going back to watching the building that reeked of dragon slayers. "And that he is, but even he won't be able to break through those wards." she concluded as the other three drakes in their group joined in on Evrag's assault of the building. But once again it had little to no effect on the barrier protecting the building that was the only place where they could still detect life in the entire city.

"How is that even possible?" inquired Tureis as he cocked his head to the right as the other four drakes all unleashed their roars on it.

"That I don't know, but whatever they are using must have vast amounts of magic stored in it. Something that I still find hard to believe even if Dragneel and the rest of his slayers put all of their excess magic in it." she concluded as the front doors started to slowly open up ever so slightly.

And out strode one lone figure wearing a sleeveless black scaled coat with an orange dragon emblem on the back of it. A quick glance at the rest of his attire told her that he was completely decked out in armor made from their brethren that was not only durable but very agile. Something that she was certain could also be said for the visible weapons he had strapped to him, with the two chained daggers he was currently twirling in his hands giving her the most concern. But the thing that stood out to her the most was his distinctive pink hair and the completely crazed look he currently had plastered across his mug.

"Dragneel?" she asked, knowing that the person coming towards her definitely fit his description as he cocked his head to the left. But something felt off about him, maybe it was because of his current expression or for how uncharacteristically quiet he currently was being.

Instead of getting a response all she got was his crazed grin growing ever so slightly, which showed off his fangs that to her surprise had what appeared to be blood on them. That was when she finally began to notice more of his intricate details, such as how worn and battered all of his clothing was. Or the smoke slowly billowing off of him from what looked to be fresh cuts. But the most chilling detail she had no idea how she didn't notice until now was the blood that was coating his daggers and splashed all over his coat and pretty much everywhere else.

"Dragneel!" growled out Evrag as soon as the man stepped through the barrier. Only for him and another drake to lunge at the still grinning man, that was casually walking out to all of them by himself.

 **End of Chapter.**

 **Author's Notes:**

 **I'd like to thank all of you for taking the time to read this work of mine, which I'm still amazed at how many followers and reviews I'm getting for it. Especially with how, quite frankly, terrible the first chapters are grammatically speaking and overall the flow of them. Something that I really want to go back and fix, not only to make it easier for others to start reading this story but to also help refresh myself on everything I've done or said so I don't forget something important that I might have hinted to earlier. Of course that would be a huge time commitment, but I feel as if it would be worth it in the long run. Maybe I'll just do at least one chapter a day instead of devoting a whole month to working on it like it would most likely take to go over all of it and make the small changes that I want to. Well that's enough about things you guys are probably not really interested in since you've already read all of that stuff. So other than letting all of you know that I'm hoping to have the next chapter for this out within the next week. I guess I'll say my usual, feel free to leave a review or PM and I'll try to respond back to you as soon as I can.**

 **Until the Next Chapter,**

 **Digem Out!**


	39. The Death of a Hero

MD Ch 39: The Death of a Hero

 **January 29th, X789 out over the ocean in between the Alvarez Empire and Fiore:**

It was just a normal day on the open seas with clear skies for as far as the eye could see, with calm waters that made it the ideal time to be out on them. Given these perfect conditions for sailing, any sailor worth their salt was out there making the most of it while they could. And because of this there were ships scattered all across the vast ocean and for some of them it wouldn't be until a few days later that they were able to confirm what they saw. The main consensus of what most of them believed to have seen that day was a low flying comet heading in the direction of Fiore.

But for a certain merchant ship, they all got to witness what it truly was. And quite frankly, for most of them, they still found it easier to believe that it was just a comet or shooting star. None of them expected the one responsible being a pink haired man with the capabilities of flying thanks to the flames that surrounded him yet didn't seem to harm him in the slightest. The only reason that they got to learn all of this was because the blazing ball of inferno came to a sudden stop in the sky and just floated there for a while.

"It's about time you freakin' called me!" shouted out Natsu as he activated his communication lacrima and a small hologram of Doranbolt appeared a second later.

"We've been trying to get into contact with you since it all started!" snapped back the teleportation mage, whose current appearance looked a little disheveled. Indicating that he had definitely been doing more than just sitting around for the past few hours.

"You can thank the Council for that." replied Natsu as a look of disgust came over his face. "I'll explain later." he said after looking at his friend's completely lost expression. "So, give me the details." he finished as his face switched over to a serious one.

"That'll take too long, we need you right away." he stated as his face went to a blank expression.

"Sorry Doranbolt, but I'm not going to just jump into this without any idea as to what is currently happening. As of right now all I know is that roughly fifty drakes are attacking all over the country; and my guild with most likely the help of the other ones are doing whatever they can to repeal them." he said in a calm voice that Doranbolt knew was just a cover. "So for the love of Mavis, at least tell me how many are attacking, and where, and if anyone from my guild is currently there." he finished as one of the sides of his mouth seemed to be twitching on its own.

"Last I knew ten drakes were attacking Magnolia and its surrounding areas with no one really opposing them at the moment." answered Doranbolt only to get a quick nod from his friend on the other end of his communication lacrima. "Another ten are currently in Crocus…" he continued to say as a slightly shocked look came over Natsu's face. "The Council once again thought they could handle this on their own since they now have Daniel Arthstram with them. I won't go into detail, but it was looking really bad until Sting and Rogue showed up." once again just getting a quick nod from him, and they proceeded like this for another two minutes until he told the Master of Fairy Tail everything he knew.

"Shit… Right now, I wish I could be in a few places at once." he cursed to himself after hearing all of this.

"So where do you want me to take you, and for that matter where exactly are you right now?" asked Doranbolt, since this was what he had been assigned to as soon as they learned of the wide spread invasion. And instead of getting a verbal response from the contemplating Dragon Slayer, coordinates popped up underneath the hologram floating above his hand. So without a second thought he teleported there, only to let out a startled shout as he started to plummet to the ocean below him. He was caught before he even fell more than four feet by the pink haired Dragon Slayer that was still in deep thought.

"Fuck it." cursed the teleportation mage before using his magic and teleporting both of them to the closest place with drakes still rampaging about.

 **Meanwhile with Jura:**

Currently standing in what used to be a residential area of the city Lamia Scale called their home now stood a bald man with an impressive beard. This man was none other than Jura Neekis, Wizard Saint and Ace of Lamia Scale, standing across from him was a drake with steel scales. Most of the buildings around the two of them were reduced to rubble or had huge holes torn through them with some of them even having half of their structure just missing. Needless to say, it was fairly clear that neither of the two opponents squaring off against each other cared if they caused massive damage to the surrounding area.

"Very impressive human, I honestly wouldn't have believed it if I weren't in the spot I am now." stated the steel drake that now looked banged up a little bit but still ready to throw down. Something that couldn't really be said about his opponent that was now only wearing the lower half of his robe since the other part was cut off him during their skirmish. And along with that there were various cuts scattered all across his upper half that was still rippling with muscles that would definitely catch the eye of most females.

"Frankly I'm disappointed with myself." replied Jura as he got into a defensive stance with his legs spread wide.

"How so? Most humans can't even last more than a minute in a head-on fight with me, but here you are still standing strong after an entire hour." inquired the drake as he watched the man preventing him from going on a rampage.

"True, but most humans don't have the title of a Wizard Saint like I do." he stated as the drake seemed intrigued by this. "A title that is supposed to mean we are the strongest that our country has to offer."

"So, is Dragneel and the rest of his slayers part of these Wizard Saints as you called them?" asked the drake as he cocked his head to the left.

"Unfortunately he isn't, even though the title has been offered to him more than anyone else has ever been offered. And as far as I know no offer has been given to any of his Dragon Slayers either." he answered as a slightly confused look came over the drake's expression.

"Interesting… Dragneel decided to turn down a title that is supposed to signify that he's one of the strongest in his country." stated the drake with a little chuckle at the end. "I can't help but feel that whatever determines who is up for this title is wrong if none of his Slayers were offered it yet." he finished as a smirk slowly spread across his face.

"Possibly, but there is more to being a Wizard Saint than just raw power alone." pointed out Jura as he remained in his defensive stance.

"What else matters other than your fighting prowess?" asked the drake as he started to circle around the earth mage.

"Just by asking me that question, I already know that whatever I tell you you'll just dismiss it." he replied as his expression morphed to an extremely serious one. "So why don't we cut the chit chat and get back to fighting."

"And that right there is why I like you human." stated the drake before he lunged at him.

 **"IRON ROCK WALL."** he exclaimed in a calm tone as large stone slabs sprung forth from the ground in between them. And since their fight was already a long one he knew that it wasn't going to stop the drake, which he was completely correct about as said drake burst through them with a roar. Only to find no traces of the earth mage that was there just moments go, which really only left him with the option of trying to find him by his scent.

That unfortunately didn't cross the drake's mind fast enough, so he didn't have enough time to dodge the attack coming from right underneath him. **"IRON ROCK FIST."** came the voice of Jura as a stone fist emerged from the ground below the drake and sent him into the air. Only for two more of those stone fists to be sent at the drake before he could recover, this sent him crashing into some of the nearby buildings. Resulting with the drake exploding from the rubble he just created while simultaneously letting loose an ear shattering roar.

That the drake then followed up with a flap of his wings that sent steel like daggers flying all over the area in front of him. Only for his opponent to easily block all of them with a wall of stone that sprang from the earth right in front of him in the nick of time. This was exactly what the drake expected to happen as he took this time to take flight and get well above the human he was still surprised at lasting this long against him. So with a confident smirk spread across his mug he reared back his head and unleashed a roar of shrapnel that he was confident would make quick work of whatever defenses this man could possibly put up.

 **"ROCK MOUNTAIN!"** shouted out Jura in slight shock. Knowing from his experiences with a certain Dragon Slayer how strong a roar like that could be, which he was extremely thankful for as he had to put more of his magic into it so it wouldn't crumble. Unfortunately, by the end of the roar he was now left panting and was just barely fast enough to raise up a stone wall in between himself and a razor-sharp claw heading towards his chest. And his misfortune only seemed to keep going as the drake smashed through it and sent him flying into one of the nearby houses.

"I knew it was only a matter of time before you started to run out of energy." stated the drake while once again hovering above their little battlefield. Having a wide smirk slowly spread across his maw as he saw the rubble where he sent the human start moving, signifying that their fight wasn't over just yet. He was about to throw another taunt at the impressive human when something strange started to happen, which was a copious amount of the surrounding rubble started to float in the air.

"Are you sure about that drake?" asked the earth mage as the rocks and stones that used to be covering him were also floating. **"SUPREME KING ROCK CRUSH!"** he then shouted out before the drake could even reply. This caused all of the floating debris to be sent hurtling at the drake still smirking in the air above him and completely encasing said drake in rocks within a few seconds. Only for the stones to constrict more on their captured prey before exploding and sending stone shards everywhere.

"That was quite the move human." came the voice of the drake as the dust still covered his presence. "I can think of a few different drakes that would have suffered immensely from such a move." he continued to say as the dust finally cleared up enough for his opponent to see he was still completely fine. "But alas, you are up against me so you're pretty much screwed." he finished with a smug grin as he landed gracefully before the Wizard Saint.

 **"ROCK AVALANCHE!"** shouted Jura as he extended his right hand forward, resulting in the ground in front of him to break apart and be sent flying at the drake. Who only sat back and started to laugh as he was pelted with the stones.

"What happened to those moves of yours that actually had a slight chance at piercing my scales?" he asked as his grin grew to the point that you could see pretty much all of his razor-sharp teeth. Before jumping at his opponent and initiating another intense duel between steel and stone, one that was starting to lean towards the side of steel.

The two of them continued this deadly dance of theirs for another ten minutes, and during which Jura was so completely focused on his one opponent before him that he didn't notice the presence of someone else watching their skirmish from the sidelines. But saying that this mysterious figure only just sat back and watched would be incorrect since they on more than just one occasion pulled the Wizard Saint barely out of the way from a deadly attack. After the first time they did this, Jura of course noticed; but considering whoever was doing it just saved his life he decided he'd wait until it was all over to find out who they are.

At least that was his plan anyways, that is until the drake appeared to have him cornered and was about to land a devastating blow. Only for him to veer off at the very last second, sending someone dressed in black flying into the air where said person was then hit by a jagged steel tail that sent them out of sight. Jura could only look on in complete disbelief at where his unknown guardian angel was sent crashing, more than likely seriously injured.

He was about to try and go make sure whoever it was, was fine but then he heard a pain filled voice sound off in his head. "Left Flank." was all the voice said before he was forced to think about other things. Things such as not being sliced in two by the drake that was once again attacking him, but this time in an excited fury that turned out to be a godsend to the earth mage that no longer had someone looking out for him. As the drake gleefully continued to attack him he noticed something thanks to the mysterious voice in his head.

"You Fairy Tail mages never cease to amaze me." he said to himself with a little chuckle as he brought up a large stone wall in between him and the drake. That just like most of his other walls was then destroyed by the drake after a few quick attacks, which was all he needed to distance himself from the drake. "Hold on one moment!" he shouted out in the hopes that the drake was still interested in talking with him.

His answer came in the form of the drake lashing out with his tail, that he easily dodged by sinking into the ground. Where he disappeared from the drake only to reappear on the other side of him with a stern look on his face as the two of them locked eyes.

"I was going to make a wager with you." Jura stated as the drake let out a snarl only to have an intrigued expression come over his visage.

"And what would that be human?" he asked back as he looked at the mage skeptically.

"That I'll be able to break through your scales with my next attack." Jura said without a trace of doubt or hesitation in his voice, which he didn't lose as the drake broke into uproarious laughter.

"Fine human, I'll bite, what happens if you somehow accomplish this?" he inquired with what could only be described as his form of a mirthful tone to his voice.

"Simple, you leave and never come back!" replied the earth mage while once again keeping his stern expression in response to the drake's laughter.

"Deal, but I'm of course not just going to sit here and take your next attack like an idiot." stated the drake as he then proceeded to slowly stalk around the man that kept surprising him.

"Afraid that I'll actually do it?" he taunted back as the drake's only response was to let out a deep growl as he continued to circle him. An eerie silence fell over the two of them as they inspected the other one intently for the next two minutes; each of them just waiting for an indication as to when the other might attack.

The drake was the one to finally cave and lunge at Jura, ready to slice him in two. Although, as soon as the drake made his move his opponent was ready and simply joined his hands together in front of his chest while quietly saying his spell. **"RUMBLING MT. FUJI."** he said just above a whisper, which resulted in the area right in front of him being consumed in a bright light as he put every ounce of magic he could into it. In that split second a great deal happened, the most shocking thing of course being the steel drake now impaled through his left flank and suspended in the air by at least ten feet.

"I-Impressive, human…" coughed out the drake with blood occasionally being spread about during some of his coughs. He couldn't help but smirk at his opponent, who not only broke through his scales on his front side but also used a spell strong enough where it came out of his backside as well. Effectively pinning him where he was and in a clearly less than ideal situation for him to make it out of there alive.

"I won, now leave!" declared Jura as he slowly started to lower the drake back down to the ground. Maybe it was because of how exhausted he was, but if he had been paying more attention he would have noticed the drake's expression changing ever so slightly as he lowered him. Unfortunately he didn't, and in the blink of an eye he was sent back a few feet as his whole world went black while he felt unspeakable pain surge from both of his eyes.

As he clutched his eyes in an attempt to lessen the pain, he quickly took note of the copious amounts of the liquid he could only assume was his own blood seeping through his hands. And to make matters worse for him; in the background, he could hear the ragged chuckles of the one responsible for his current state. Luckily for the earth mage, the drake struck right before he would have touched the ground again, which meant he was still trapped.

"Didn't Dragneel ever warn you that we weren't to be trusted?" asked the drake in an amused yet clearly still pain filled voice. Watching in sheer enjoyment as the foe that bested him slowly staggered to his feet while at the same time tore off a piece of his robe that he then wrapped around his head to cover both of his eyes. He couldn't help but admit to himself that he was fine with dying at the hands of this human, who even after more than likely losing his eyesight was back standing just moments later. Clearly ready to do what he should have done in the first place if he wasn't like Dragneel in the regards that he too obviously believed that their species could coexist.

"That he did." replied the Wizard Saint as his once almost nonexistent magical energy started to sky rocket. "But after our fight I was under the impression that we were both warriors that would honor our agreement." he spat out, and if there was another soul in the area, they would have been completely terrified of him at that moment. His various fresh cuts strewn about his upper body as his lower half was just barely being covered by the remains of his robe. But the part that would have scared any on looker would have definitely been his blood-soaked cloth wrapped around his eyes; that couldn't hold back all of the blood that was now coming from his eyes and making it look as if he was crying crimson tears.

"A true warrior doesn't return home in defeat, if they even return at all it must be in victory." stated the drake with a pain filled smirk spread across his lips, not caring that his opponent couldn't see it when he knew he could more than likely hear it in his voice.

"Have it your way then, drake." he said while crouching down to the ground and putting one of his palms on the ground. As he was doing this he started to focus all of that built up magical energy into his hand and was about to finish it when the drake said something he almost missed because of how quiet he said it.

"Teni… And what is yours, human?" asked the drake as he closed his eyes with a content smile now spread across his lips.

"Jura Neekis." was his simple reply before unleashing his built up magical energy that proceeded to go through the jagged spike of earth still impaled in the drake. Causing said drake to suddenly twitch before blood shot out of his mouth and the two holes made in him.

"It was an honor." stated the drake as his neck went limp and all movement ceased. His opponent remained on guard as he cautiously drew closer until he was just a foot away from the mythical beast; at which point he could confidently confirm that their fight was truly over.

"I'm betting if he was your opponent it would've been over in a few minutes." commented Jura as he slowly got into a sitting position with his back up against the drake that was on his final journey in the afterlife.

 **At Hargeon with Laki and her team:**

Over the past few years the town of Hargeon has seen a sizable increase in most of their areas. Such as the drastic increase in trade and other shipping endeavors, which made perfect sense given their coastal location and the major train route connecting them with the rest of the country. And along with this came an overall boost to their population since jobs were springing up all over the town that is probably now more accurate to call a city given its current size.

On a standard day, most people would still find it quite homely and that it still somehow gives off a small port town vibe. A vibe that was probably directly related to the various open-air markets that they had scattered across their ever-growing city, all of which had a wide variety of things with fish usually being the one constant throughout all of them. Along with that a visitor might notice that most of the buildings throughout the entire town were completely made from wood, with a few exceptions of course.

And it was thanks to that small little fact that a certain wood-make mage from Fairy Tail even stood a chance against the two drakes that split off of from Magnolia and headed here. A quick scan over the city now would make a previous tourist scratch their head in confusion, because the once neat and quite orderly town looked twisted and overall distorted. At least that might be how someone would politely describe the city's current state, that now had it looking as if most of the houses at one point or another were reaching out and trying to grab something.

Which most would find quite shocking to learn that it was exactly that, thanks to Laki and her mastery of her magic the city literally came alive to help fight off the drakes. This of course confused the hell out of the drakes and only was worsened with Laki's teammates jumping out of random buildings with a spell at the ready. To only jump right back into them and seemingly disappear before either of the drakes could pursue them properly. Her team continued this tactic until they positioned the drakes exactly where they wanted them, which was the center of Hargeon's largest open aired market.

"I wouldn't have believed this if I wasn't looking at it right now!" declared a brunette-haired woman in her late thirties, wearing a nice two-piece suit with a skirt that went to her knees. Just from one look at this woman and you could easily see she worked for everything she had in life and wasn't just going to sit back and let someone else take it. This was probably one of the various reasons she was elected Mayor of the thriving port town of Hargeon.

"I bet you were expecting one of our Dragon Slayers to come deal with them." stated a blonde-haired woman with a nice tan that showed she enjoyed being outside whenever she could. Her outfit consisted of black leather boots that went up to her knees, letting everyone see a good portion of her legs until you came to her mini skirt. Going further up her attire she wore a simple sleeveless shirt with Monster spelled across the front of it and to cap off her outfit she had an adorable orange cat hat.

"I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't, but now I can see that the rest of your guild is quite capable and shouldn't be underestimated." replied the Mayor as she let out a long whistle. Currently in the center of their main market area were two drakes pinned down to the ground thanks to a dark grey wood that sprung up from the ground, making it almost impossible for either of them to move even an inch. One of them was a dark blue while the other was an earthly brown with both of them having a tan underbelly.

"I wouldn't say we're out of the woods just yet." stated Laki from her seated position just a few yards in front of the two drakes. Just a quick glance at said mage and it was obvious to anyone that she was completely exhausted and appeared to be just a gentle breeze away from passing out. But despite all of that; there was a determined look in her eyes as she held out her right arm towards the two immobilized drakes.

"Don't tell me that you won't be able to hold them for much longer?" asked the blonde Fairy Tail mage from before; no longer having that confident look of hers she was sporting just a second earlier.

"Of course not, Chico!" she snapped back at her fellow guild member, while at the same time looking at her directly in the eyes. Letting her know that she could keep the two drakes like this for at least another four hours if needed. "But that doesn't mean more of these scaly bastards won't show up any minute now." she said while once again focusing all of her attention onto her captives.

"Shit, I didn't even think about that!" cursed Chico as she frantically started to scan the early morning skies for any signs of approaching drakes.

"We don't need to worry about that just yet." stated the Mayor as she patted the slightly scared mage on the back. "Thanks to Master Dragneel we'll know of their approach at least five minutes before they get here." she said with a grateful smile spread across her lips. Clearly not upset in the slightest about her town being almost completely unrecognizable after the scuffle between the drakes and the mages of Fairy Tail.

"He bought some of those EDD devices for you guys?" she asked while no longer having a terrified expression and instead had a questioning one.

"No, what I was referring to was his involvement in their creation and manufacture since the very beginning." replied the Mayor of Hargeon, only to receive blank looks from the members of Fairy Tail. "My bad, I assumed you already knew all of this. But now that I'm thinking about it, the only reason I learned of his hand in all of that was because of him using our port as his hub for transportation." she said more to herself than to any of them.

"That didn't really help us." pointed out Chico as Laki nodded her head in agreement.

"I don't know if it's really my place to tell you since he's obviously gone to great lengths to keep his name away from it." she said while tapping her chin in thought. But before she could continue on, one of the drakes started to let out a deep chuckle only for his captor to quickly put an end to it.

"I warned you what would happen if you so much as opened your mouth just a crack." hissed Laki as she glared at the drake that chuckled a second ago and was now looking a little ill.

"Master Dragneel would be impressed with your method of dealing with them." stated another member of Fairy Tail as he strolled up to their little group. Compared to most members of Fairy Tail he looked quite normal, sporting a simple dark maroon track suit and a pair of matching sunglasses. He chose to usually wear his outfit with the jacket open, letting everyone see his plain white shirt and gold chain that apparently set him back a few jobs alone.

"Did you get a hold of the Guild?" inquired Chico as she met him halfway.

"That I did, and we'll be getting the next Dragon Slayer that stops by for a little pick me up." he replied while stepping past her and heading towards Laki. "Not that we really need it when our Lovely Laki here is more than capable." he finished with a little smirk sent her way.

"Wan… How many times am I going to have to tell you that it's never going to happen?" asked the purpled haired wood maker mage after letting out a tired sigh.

"Until you say yes." he replied as his smirk only grew in size.

"Chico… Isn't it sad that during our fight with these two drakes, that poor Wan here got seriously hurt." she stated in a cheery tone that all the male members of Fairy Tail knew was anything but that. Causing the once extremely confident male of their group to start sweeting bullets as he looked over at this other partner with a pleading look.

"It's a shame, we did everything we could." replied the blonde as she shook her head regretfully. By this time Wan was already hightailing it out of there while shouting something about making sure the rest of the citizens were fine. Resulting in the three women quietly giggling to themselves as they watched his retreating figure disappear down a different street just seconds later.

"You Fairy Tail mages are unlike any of the other mages I've ever dealt with in my life." stated the Mayor after they all quieted down.

"I hope you mean that in a good way." replied Laki in a serious tone as she went back to glaring at the two drakes she was keeping pinned to the ground.

"Most certainly." she stated with a small smile gracing her lips. "And seeing as I'm only being a distraction to the two of you, I'll take my leave." she continued to say as she turned away from them and headed back the way she initially came from.

"Hey!" shouted out Chico, only for the Mayor to give them a wave over her shoulder and disappear around a corner. "She didn't tell us how Master Dragneel was involved with the EDD devices." she pointed out with a slightly frustrated expression washing over her face.

"And I'm guessing she never will." said Laki as a slight smirk made its way across her lips.

"And why not?" asked her fellow guild mate while letting out a huff of disappointment.

"Would you be willing to risk possibly being the person responsible for letting out one of Master Dragneel's secrets?" she asked her back, which caused the blonde to go slightly pale as certain images of their Master flashed through her mind. Most of them being him covered in the blood of a drake that he took down single handedly, with an unmistakable predatory look in his eyes and that creepy grin he sometimes gets.

"That's what I thought." she said after waiting for her friend to respond but got nothing in return.

 **With Meredy and her team:**

With a grimace, the pink haired Maguilty Mage of Fairy Tail slowly staggered to her trembling feet, while her entire body was screaming at her to stay down. And as she slowly started to take methodical step after step a recurring thought flashed through her mind, which was that she wasn't going to ever see any of her fellow guild members again. No that wasn't correct, she wasn't going to get to see her family again, because over the last few years that is exactly what they all became to her. Despite all of the fights and arguments that they got into together, she, just like the rest of them knew that at the first sign of trouble they would have her back.

Something that she definitely couldn't say about her previous guild, who's only positive thing to come from being a part of it was that she got to meet Ultear. And through her, she was finally able to get a second chance at the life she never got to have in the first place. A life that she truly believed was only a dream for her, but was proven wrong almost immediately after joining Fairy Tail with Ultear. A guild that just a few days prior she despised with every fiber of her being, but would now gladly defend to her final breath.

She couldn't help but chuckle at that thought since it seemed like it was soon approaching for her. But just as soon as it came it quickly disappeared as even sadder thoughts raced through her hazy mind. These thoughts were now about all of the things she was going to be missing out on. All of the parties that the guild would throw for no other reason than to just blow off a little steam after a long day of training. To the simple things such as sitting down with Kei and Kagura and just chatting about whatever was on any of their minds.

Tears started to form in Meredy's eyes as images of Liza and the triplets flashed before her, all of them crying at her absence. She could imagine how heartbroken Liza would be at losing another member of her family, something the poor girl has already experienced enough of. The triplets on the other hand wouldn't be able to comprehend all of this at their current age but would none the less still affect them since she had become a constant in their young lives. Lives that she was no longer going to be able to watch over as they grew up, and no doubt become impressive mages considering who their parents were.

A lump formed in her throat as she saw an image of Ultear and Natsu smiling at her, two people who had absolutely no obligation what so ever to take her in. But such an idea seemed to never even cross either of their minds as they accepted her into their family whole heartedly. Going so far as to even let her choose if she wanted their last name or not, a name that was quickly becoming synonymous with power and respect.

"There you are!" came the thunderous voice of a white drake after it smashed through a house at the other end of the block. "What happened to all of that confidence you once had?" it asked as a smug grin slowly spread across its maw.

 **"MAGUILTY SODOM!"** she shouted back; clearly in a lot of pain as she did so. A multitude of teal blades quickly formed around her, only to then be sent flying at the drake just a few yards away from her. She watched on in the hopes of seeing some sort of response to her attack, but like all of the other times she attacked the drake it seemed to have no effect whatsoever.

"You've already tried that before, brat of Dragneel." chuckled the drake as it let all of the flames covering its body fade away. "And like I told you when we first met; there is nothing that you can do to even hurt, much less take me down like you once claimed." it said as it slowly headed in her direction.

Meredy fell to her knees, finally succumbing to her exhaustion and overall broken body as the drake slowly drew nearer. During the course of their fight all of her fire-resistant garments were reduced to nothing more than ash, with the exception of anything that was made from drake scales. Something that she was extremely thankful for since it was definitely the only reason she was still alive at the moment. A faint smile slowly came over her expression as she looked up at the beautiful sunrise in the distance, a sight she couldn't help but think would be a nice last image.

But just as she closed her eyes so it would be just that, a memory flashed before her.

Standing across from her in the arena was none other than the person she was starting to see as a father figure, albeit a sometimes childish and goofy one at that. But none the less a father figure, who currently was handing her ass to her like one has ever done to her before. Long gone was that grin of his that pretty much everyone could agree made you feel like everything was going to be alright. And in its place, was a stern, almost expressionless, stare directed solely on her throughout their entire fight if you could even call it that.

"Get up." stated Natsu in a cold tone as he looked down at the young mage panting before him.

"I can't." she replied in between deep gasps for air.

"Yes, you can." he declared in the same tone that just sounded so wrong coming from him. A person that a lot of people would describe as annoyingly cheery and happy, even in some of the worst situations possible.

"What's the point?" she shouted back while glaring up at him. "Even when I land an attack on you it does nothing!" she pointed out.

A fact that she only just learned about the Dragon Slayer during the course of this fight, which she was still having trouble coming to terms with since no one has ever been able to do anything even remotely close to it so far. And that even included Master Hades, who had an enormous amount of knowledge in a wide array of different types of magic. Something that she was confident the man before her had a really long way to go before he even knew half the things her former Master did.

"That's where you're wrong Meredy." he replied in a slightly warmer tone than what he was using before.

"How so?" she yelled out in frustration.

"I've felt ever single attack you've hit me with." was his simple reply, causing her mouth to quickly fall wide open in disbelief. "Let me explain." he said with a little chuckle as she was just about to demand answers from him. "Take a quick look at me Meredy, what do you see?" he asked while gesturing at his figure, which was currently him just wearing a pair of training pants and his scarf wrapped around his head like it usually was these days.

"I don't know." she mumbled as her head dropped so she was looking at the ground beneath her knees.

"Yes you do, it's actually a really simple question." he replied in a slightly cheery tone, causing her to look up and see that he was giving her a warm smile like he usually would. "And I'm not talking about the titles I've gained or even the forms of magic I can use." he added as his smile grew just a little bit.

"I see a young man with a lot of scars." she finally answered after a few minutes of silence, thinking that any sort of answer was better than nothing. Only for her eyes to shoot wide open when he chuckled that she was correct.

"For someone to have as many scars as I do, they need to be able to fight through the pain. Otherwise these little guys would've never even had the chance to turn into scars." he stated while still smiling down at her. "So, to a mage such as yourself, it would appear that your attacks are having no affect what so ever on someone like me. But I know for a fact that you can still handle facing off against me or anyone like me." he stated with absolute confidence before losing his smile and giving her another cold stare.

"I still don't know." she said while looking up at him with a slightly confused expression.

"Yes you do Meredy, just think back to our fight up till this point." he said while his hands caught on fire and smoke started to ominously billow from them. He slowly started striding towards the mage still looking down at the earth beneath her, but just as he was only a few feet away from her he was forced to jump back. As teal blades kept zooming at his head and a few other choice areas that he really didn't want to be hit at.

The two of them kept this up for a few more minutes until Meredy was sprawled out on her back looking up at sky, trying to fill her lungs with the air that her body desperately needed. Sitting to her right was Natsu with a proud smile spread across his mug as he too looked up at the clear skies.

"I told you." he stated before laying down in a similar position to her.

"Yea, yea, you're never wrong Master Dragneel." replied his fellow pink haired mage in a very sarcastic tone.

"It's good to hear that you're finally realizing that brat." he replied in a completely serious tone before they both burst into laughter that lasted a little while. "But in all honesty Meredy, I hope you realize how awesome your magic truly is even though a lot of people might think otherwise. I'm sure you're extremely familiar with how useful it can be in a fight. Although what it's capable of doing outside of a fight is what I'm truly envious about." he said to the complete and utter shock of the girl lying next to him.

"To have the ability to let someone else know what another person is feeling without it getting all jumbled up and confused is no small task. Not only that but something that I'm certain most people wouldn't see how amazing it really is." he continued to say while watching the only cloud in the sky slowly float over them.

"Well Meredy, I've got to get back to my paperwork." he said while he got back up. "Otherwise Wakaba and Macao will be breathing down my neck for the next week and I'm sure you realize how unpleasant that would be." he stated with a smirk as he re-equipped his usual gear and started to put it on. "Oh and unless it's a life or death situation I'd really prefer it if you didn't go after someone's vital organs like you were on me back there. I honestly don't know how someone's body would react to the sensation of their head or heart being torn through." he finished saying before heading back into the guild.

"How could I have been so stupid!" she mentally cursed herself as he eyes snapped back open. Taking in the sight of the drake still standing in the exact spot it was when she first closed them. Thanking Mavis over and over again, that what felt like an eternity was maybe just a second in real life.

"So, you still intend to fight?" asked the drake as it raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"Of course I do, I'm a Dragneel for crying out loud!" she shouted back, once again cursing herself for not noticing her opponent's movements throughout their fight. When said drake chose to just sit there or when it decided to look as if it was swatting away her attacks, it was actually just blocking them.

"Then let's see if Igneel's brat is as good as he was when deciding who is worthy enough to be brought into the fold." declared the drake as it stood there with a confident smirk.

 **"MAGUILTY SODOM…"** Meredy once again started to cast as the drake couldn't help but throw in its own two cents.

"We've been over this already." it said while rolling its eyes, only for them to widen as her spell continued on.

 **"OF DEATH!"** she shouted out, and instead of there being a few teal blades there were about twice as many this time. And rather than being teal like they were in all of her previous attacks; this time they were a dark red and were now hanging above the drake. Ready to drop at the simple gesture of her hand, which she did the very next second.

The drake could tell it didn't want to be on the receiving end of such an attack, but it didn't have enough time to dodge it. So instead it did the next best thing, which was bringing its wings up in an attempt to protect any vital organ the girl might hit by accident. Unfortunately for it, the human currently facing off against it knew most of the weak spots on the standard drake.

What followed in the next few seconds was one of the most pain filled roars anyone in the surrounding twenty-mile radius have ever heard. And it lasted for an entire two minutes without pause, all thanks to a select few blades; that slipped past the drake's defenses and sunk into their desired targets. Such as the neck, back of the head, base of the wings, testicles, and other various joints throughout its body. This was a last-ditch attempt for the mage from Fairy Tail, since it was literally the last thing she was capable of doing in this fight before falling back down to her knees in exhaustion.

Unfortunately, it soon proved to not be enough as the drake that was just moments ago a twitching pile of agony on the ground started to get back up while letting out a menacing growl. The entire time glaring at the pink haired girl that reduced it to such a despicable state, one that a drake should never show, especially to a lowly human no less. With these thoughts in mind the drake decided that it was done toying around with these humans, and the first one that it was going to be rid of was the one kneeling just a few yards away from it.

For Meredy the world seemed to slow down as the drake went about doing all of the telltale signs of unleashing a roar. And judging from the look it was giving her up until the last second; this roar was going to be its biggest one yet and more than likely leave nothing in its wake. She was once again looking death in the eyes, but instead of having a sad smile like she did last time, she now had a peaceful one.

"Sorry guys, looks like my journey ends here." she whispered to herself as the drake's white flames could now be seen accumulating in its slightly open maw.

But before it even had the chance to be unleashed on her someone that she hadn't noticed until just now brought her into a protective hug. This simple hug caused a wave of security and relief to wash over her, it was one that she grew accustom to since joining Fairy Tail. As she melted into the hug, a chill ran up her spine. Letting Meredy know that the one embracing her was not only using the magic she was rarely ever seen using, but was beyond pissed as well.

"It's okay Meredy, you did great." Ultear whispered into her ear as they were still embracing each other. "I'm here now so just sit back and get some rest." she continued to say as they slowly separated. And as she did this Meredy came to the shocking realization that she could no longer move thanks to a thick layer of ice now encasing her entire body and leaving a small area around her head to breathe.

"No… Don't do it Ultear!" she screamed out as the wall of ice holding off the drake's roar shattered behind the woman she saw whole heartedly as her mother. Ultear's last expression before being engulfed by the roar was the confident one that she was known to sport so often. But that did little to comfort the girl watching her mother sacrificing herself for her, or at least that was what her brain jumped to in their current situation.

"I've got to hand it to Natsu and Bianca." came a new voice to the drake from within the smoldering rubble that its roar left in its wake. "They said that this outfit couldn't be burned, but that's something you don't really believe until you see it for yourself. Which I'm grateful for, because otherwise I'd be left here standing in nothing but my birthday suit." stated the voice as the smoke and dust started to settle.

And once it did the drake was shocked to see that the woman it had been fighting against up till now was completely encased in ice. Standing protectively in front of her was a purple haired woman wearing a skin-tight outfit, with its red chest piece looking similar to a bathing suit. Except for the black and gold corset like thing going around her abdomen, and it also being backless and sleeveless. Her legs were almost completely covered by her black and red boots that went almost up her entire thighs, with the tops of them being trimmed in gold. The final pieces of her outfit were her red headband and the matching vambraces that were steel in color but looked as if they were made out of scales.

"How are you still standing?" asked the drake in absolute disbelief; knowing that its flames should have decimated everything in their path.

"It would be pretty disgraceful if the mate of the next Fire King couldn't handle your pathetic flames." replied Ultear as a smug grin slowly came over her expression.

"Impossible!" shouted out the drake before unleashing another roar directly at her. And as soon as the drake let up its roar it was shocked to hear a tired yawn from the woman that seemed to appear out of nowhere.

"Yet here I stand, completely unharmed." she stated while gesturing to her still intact body. "Something that I can't say about my daughter however." she then said in a bone chilling tone as an enraged look quickly washed over her previously smug one. "I can only imagine what he'd do if he came upon the scene of one of his hatchlings being attacked like she was." she continued to say in the same voice. "Well it doesn't really matter since it won't even compare to what I'm going to do to you!" she declared while doing a quick swipe of her arm and the earth underneath the drake gave way.

This caught the drake completely off guard since it thought she was an ice mage, which was then also confirmed as ice started to form around its body as it was trying to get out of the hole it just fell into. But as it looked up the drake was shocked to see a ceiling starting to form above it, not just one but at least ten stories of them with everything else that made up a building. Before the drake could completely free itself from the icy clutches on all of its legs the newly formed building above it came crashing down.

Meredy could only stare on in shock from within her icy protective prison as the Time Mage showed exactly why she used to be the leader of the Seven Kin of Purgatory. Because only seconds after a building was dropped on the drake, it burst forth from the rubble while letting out an enraged roar. Only for orb after orb to start pelting it and pushing it into another area of the town they were currently fighting in. Where it soon became entangled in trees that sprung out of nowhere and looked as if they were going to crush the drake to death.

But rather than that happening the drake covered itself in its white fire; making quick work of the plants trying to confine it. This resulted in the two fighters starring each other down for a few moments before they both decided to attack each other at the same time. The drake unleashed another roar, still not accepting the fact that she was immune to it like she claimed, while Ultear on the other hand summoned a different orb than the ones she was using just a few moments ago. Her orb this time wasn't crystal clear; instead it had what appeared to be fire and smoke swirling around in it.

The Time Mage of Fairy Tail was once again engulfed by the drake's roar that easily cut through anything in its path. And just like the last time it was unleashed on her, she was completely fine and was actually fairly close to the drake still not coming to terms with her immunity. The woman came to a stop as her orbs multiplied into about twenty of them, that she then sent flying at the stunned drake.

Meredy was left completely bewildered when a giant eruption of smoke and fire originated from the drake as it let out a pain filled roar. One that was soon followed by many more as it was continuously assaulted by blast after blast of smoke and fire. Something that it initially thought it would be able to consume, but quickly found out otherwise. The girl currently encased in ice had no idea that Ultear had such an impressive and quite frankly destructive trump card hidden up her sleeves. But boy was she happy that she did, because she otherwise didn't know if her mother would've been able to actually take on the drake like she currently was.

"How?" coughed out the drake after Ultear's several minute-long assault finally stopped. "Even the mate of an actual dragon isn't able to use their element like you just did."

"I have my other form of magic to thank for that." she replied as one of orbs she had floating in the air exploded into a large cloud of smoke and fire. "Which I'm sure you're already thinking isn't enough to do what I just did." she stated with a little smirk. "And you'd be correct, if my mate hadn't given me his two forms of dragon slaying magic willingly while also explaining them to me so I would have a better understanding of what he let me have."

"That still shouldn't be possible." argued the drake with a defiant glare directed her way.

"If you drakes haven't figured it out yet, we Fairy Tail mages pride ourselves in doing the impossible." she said as ten of her orbs appeared around the drake, only for them to once again explode and block Meredy's sight of the drake. Once it came back into view she was shocked to see it was no longer moving as Ultear seemed to be making sure it was finally dead from a safe distance away. She then turned around and gave Meredy a reassuring smile before suddenly falling to her knees as the ice protecting the sensory mage crumbled away.

"Ultear!" cried out Meredy as she stumbled to the Time mage still on her knees slightly panting.

"I'm fine Meredy." she replied in a clearly tired tone as she looked back up, only to be tackled to the ground in a shockingly strong hug. Where the two of them stayed for the next few minutes as muffled sobs could be heard coming from the pink haired girl that had no intentions of letting go of the other one anytime soon.

"Don't do something as stupid as that ever again!" Meredy suddenly declared as she pulled back just enough to look Ultear in the eyes.

"And what do you mean by that?" she asked back with a little chuckle while doing her best impersonation of a clueless expression. An expression that she soon lost as her daughter's expression only became even more serious with each passing second.

"Promise me!" demanded the sensory mage as the two of them remained in a heated stare down.

"I can't…" replied Ultear, only for her to quickly place a finger on top of her daughter's lips to silence her. "And that's because I'll always do whatever I deem necessary to protect my kids. Something that I'm sure you know he would do without a second thought for his wellbeing as well." she finished with a warm smile.

"But…" she started to argue.

"But nothing Meredy, you're one of our precious children and we'll do whatever we can to keep you safe and protected. There is nothing you can do to stop that, something that I'm sure will become incredibly annoying for you once you're interested in finding a boyfriend." stated Ultear with a slight smirk at the end due to the girl she was talking to suddenly having a faint blush.

"T-t-that's ridiculous." she stuttered out while turning away from her mother. "I'll never grow tired of you two looking after me."

"You say that now, but after Natsu scares off any boy even slightly interested in you I'm sure you'll grow tired of it." said Ultear as her smirk turned into a full-blown smile.

"Then that just means they weren't good enough for me." replied the still slightly embarrassed girl as they finally separated from each other.

"Oh no, he's already got you thinking like him." stated Ultear in a very dramatic manner before a mischievous grin slowly made an appearance. "Could it be that you're going to be one of those girls who is only interested in someone like her daddy?" she asked in a taunting tone, only to sidestep out of the way of a swipe sent her way.

"I think that answers my question." she said before dashing away as an upset pink haired mage chased after her.

 **Back in Magnolia:**

"Fuck, fuck, fuck… Why in the fucking hell am I even doing this?" mumbled a man as he crawled his way up a flight of stairs that seemed to be never ending. "Journalism was supposed to be a fairly safe profession!" he spat out in a mocking tone.

This unknown figure was completely dressed in a dull down attire that covered everything but his eyes. Eyes that were obviously terrified and gave off the impression that he wanted nothing more than to be anywhere than where he currently was. Something that was only reinforced by the clearly visible shakes his hands were continuously doing as he slowly made his way up the stairs that were finally coming to an end.

As the man ascended the final step he was so blown away by what he saw, that he completely forgot about where he was, and the ones responsible for his current view. Without even thinking the man started to fumble for something strapped to his waist, only to bring said object up to his face a few seconds later. Now with his trusty Lacrima recorder in hand he did what has always come natural to him; capturing a view that he knew he'd have no chance of even coming close to describing with his own words.

From his bird's eye view at the top of one of Kardia Cathedral's towers he slowly panned over the once beautiful city of Magnolia. That was now set a blaze, which to some might be even more breathtaking than the city's usual appearance, now having a few drakes soaring overhead as they would occasionally fly over a small patch and let loose a fiery roar. Scorching everything beneath them before arching back up to possibly fly over another area and repeat the process.

At this point the man finally realized that he had been standing completely upright at the top of a tower with his brown cloak billowing around him. So with a startled, yet thankfully still muffled yelp, he dove to his stomach hoping none of the drakes noticed him. He remained like that for the next few minutes, trying his best to not make a single sound in the fear that it would alert those vicious beasts of his presence.

"Whew!" he finally said in a relieved tone as he slowly crawled to the edge of the tower he was in. "They are going to have to pay triple for this." he stated to himself as he peeked over the ledge and started to film more of the war-torn city. And from his current position he could pretty much see all of it, or more accurately what was left of the city that currently resides the strongest guild in the country.

"Shit, how could I completely forget about something like that." cursed the man as he quickly twirled around and hurriedly crawled over to the other side of his tower. As he peaked over the ledge on this side of the tower he was able to see a completely unobstructed view of Fairy Tail's guildhall. One of the few buildings left standing other than the one he currently was hiding in; probably only remaining that way due to how old it was and the protective wards that most assumed were placed in it during its construction.

Luck must have been on the journalist's side, because as soon as he got over to this side of his tower a lone figure came walking out of the guildhall. Even from his current position he could tell from a single glance that the person coming out to meet the drakes head on was none other than Natsu Dragneel, current Master of Fairy Tail. The pink hair really gave him away, that and his trademark outfit he was always seen wearing when facing off against a drake didn't really help hide who he was.

"Make that six times what they are currently planning on paying me." chuckled the man in one of Kardia's towers as one of the drakes bellowed out Dragneel's name and charged at the Master of Fairy Tail just as he made it to the other side of the guildhall's protective wards.

With the grace of what he could only describe as a dancer, the journalist watched as the Dragon Slayer effortlessly slid under the attack of a red drake. Only for him to then jump over the attack of a green one with a grin clearly spread across his lips, which seemed completely out of place for his current position. His grin made complete sense the next second when he suddenly pulled on the chain coming from his right wrist and went soaring the opposite direction he was heading just moments ago. Having just barely dodged a maw intending to sink into his flesh, but that wasn't all, as the Dragon Slayer headed back down to the ground the red drake's head was yanked back as it let out a painful roar.

As soon as the Dragon Slayer's feet touched down he took off at an astonishing pace and slammed shoulder first into one of the drakes that was clearly not suspecting such a move from him. The impact resulted in an explosion of smoke and fire that obscured everyone's view of the two of them, only for the brown drake to be sent hurtling out a second later. Said drake tried to pick itself up, but instead had its head forcibly yanked to the side and into a nearby building. This caused the drake to let out an angry roar as it reared its head back in a quick motion, effectively pulling the Dragon Slayer out of his cover and sending him right at the drake.

Something that the drake most likely thought would turn out completely different than what did, which was it having its head slammed back into the ground thanks to a smoke and fire enhanced kick connecting squarely with the center of its skull. This sudden change of events allowed the Dragon Slayer to start pummeling into the down drake as its fellow brethren watched on in shock. That is until a roar of lightning and a roar of fire crashed into the pink haired mage from both sides and caused an impressive explosion to form on him and the downed drake.

"That won't be enough to finish him off." growled out the red drake as it and three of the other drakes cautiously flew over the smoldering cloud that was the byproduct of their two previous roars.

And boy was he right as seconds later bolts of lightning started to shoot out of the dust cloud, hitting three of the hovering drakes and completely stunning all of them for various reasons. But before any of them could even ponder this shocking piece of information a streak of black came flying out of the cloud and slammed into one of the drakes previously hit by a bolt of lightning. Through either sheer luck or skill, the journalist was able to follow all of this and capture everything that transpired between the Dragon Slayer and his new target.

After slamming into the drake's unprotected underbelly with one of his daggers; Natsu burst into flames and lightning as he flew to the drake's backside while at the same time using his other dagger to leave a long gash along the way. Once at the backside of the drake he threw his still free dragger, that was now completely covered in flames, and got it to wrap around the drake's neck before coming back to him and being easily caught. The drake's roar of outrage was cut short by the chain slowly constricting around its neck; only for it to instead start making a choking noise as it frantically tried to knock the dragon slayer off its back.

A task that turned out to be harder than one might think as the pink haired mage kept avoiding anything thrown at him by just mere inches. That is until the drakes watching from the sidelines decided to step in and help, resulting in their only opponent being smacked across the town and into a pile of rubble. At this point, all of the drakes still capable of fighting realized that even with their numbers this fight wasn't going to be an easy one. A point that was only driven home to all of them as the Master of Fairy Tail erupted from the pile of rubble. Letting out a beastly roar as his body burst into flames with the addition of smoke billowing from his open wounds and the occasional bolt of lightning arching around his figure.

What followed afterwards was a fight that somehow destroyed the already decimated city of Magnolia, to the point that only the Kardia Cathedral and Fairy Tail guildhall were left standing. During which, neither side had any idea that their conflict was currently being recorded. Or that it was soon going to be broadcasted across the country for everyone to watch with baited breath.

"Pick up, pick up!" hissed the journalist as he held up his communication lacrima to his left ear as he used his other hand to make sure he was still capturing the epic fight unfolding around him. "God damnit Jason!" he shouted out only to be startled when his call was finally picked up.

"What can I do for you?" asked Jason in a clearly frazzled tone as the sound of him frantically looking through papers and other things could be heard going on in the background.

"You can look at the footage I'm currently sending you." he whispered back angrily, upset about not being given top priority when he was literally risking his life for this.

"Fine… But I hope you realize that we have multiple skilled…" Jason replied only to trail off mid-sentence.

"I know Jason, I'm one of them for crying out loud! And I'm fairly certain that none of them have anything even remotely close to what I'm getting right now." he stated in a slightly proud tone that he made sure to keep at the level of a whisper.

"This isn't looking good." commented Jason in a somber tone; clearly completely absorbed in the footage he was currently watching from where ever he was currently located.

"No kidding, but what do you expect when he literally tried to take on six of them all on his own?" he asked back in a slightly sad tone as what he was recording started to finally sink in.

"Not this… He's always somehow come out on top." answered Jason before his tone switched over to a completely serious one as he started to shout out orders to whoever else was in the room with him. "We need to be broadcasting this to the rest of the country." he said in a commanding tone as his attention came back to the person sending him the footage.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" inquired the journalist as a few explosions rang out before quickly being followed up by a painfilled shout that ended with another explosion.

"Yes. Either he'll pull this off like he usually does and the entire country will get to see it." said Jason in what he hoped was a confident tone.

"Or he won't..." interrupted the journalist as he looked down at the fight that had been looking like it was going that way for quite a while now.

"If that happens, then Fiore will get to watch the final moments of one of their strongest mages and a true hero in every sense of the word." finished Jason as he clenched his fist in anger at the image of Natsu Dragneel being hurled into another pile of rubble. Forced to watch helplessly as the Dragon Slayer slowly staggered to his feet; all the while having that grin of his spread across his mug. A grin that looked so wrong on his battered body that seemed like it was just barely holding together and ready to give out at a moment's notice.

"But…" he started to argue but was at a loss for words as he watched said Dragon Slayer get hit in the back by a tail and sent flying through the sky.

"No buts… They all deserve to see what is currently happening in Magnolia and what Fairy Tail has been dealing with these past few years. Hopefully it will finally make it crystal clear to everyone that these drakes are a real threat and that this country's Dragon Slayers might not be enough to hold them off." said Jason as he took notice of how long it took for Natsu to get back up to his feet, which was significantly longer than the one from before.

"What about?" he started to ask only to get cut off almost immediately.

"You'll get your jewels; the amount won't matter so long as you keep it rolling." said Jason in a clearly upset tone before turning off his communication lacrima and ending their connection.

"That's not what I was going to ask." mumbled the journalist as he put all of his attention back to the fight.

 **A few minutes later:**

"So the rumors about you were false." chuckled the red drake as he landed a few feet away from Natsu's current place imbedded in the side of a wall. Before he could remove himself, he was ejected thanks to the tail of the yellow drake and sent skidding across the ground. Where he was then pinned down to it by a large red scale covered foot with razor sharp claws that the drake keeping him there didn't care if they cut into him like they currently were.

"I'd have to say I'm also a little disappointed." commented the yellow drake as he landed next to them and discharged his lightning.

"Something doesn't feel right." pointed out the Maroon one; that pretty much remained out of the entire fight unless the dragon slayer actually came her way.

"You've been saying that since he first showed up." stated the red drake before using his other hand to slowly cut into the pinned mage's left arm. But instead of getting a scream of pain like he expected, all he got was bestial growl from the mage as he glared up at him.

"That's enough Evrag." declared the Maroon drake in a commanding tone.

"Ha, do you honestly expect me to still listen to a drake that was too terrified to even help take on a single Dragon Slayer?" asked back Evrag before plunging another one of his claws into the dragon slayer he had trapped beneath him.

"Yes, none of this feels right!" she shouted back as she went towards him but came to a stop when the yellow one got in between them.

"Easy now, there is no reason for us to turn on each other." stated Tureis as he looked between the two of them. "Especially after we've just taken care of the one human that has been giving us the most problem." he finished while nodding towards the pinned pink haired dragon slayer.

"That's what I'm trying to get at." she growled out while glaring at Evrag as he continued to slowly cut and pierce his trapped prey. "Why doesn't he turn into smoke and escape? Or better yet, why didn't he kill them when he had every chance to?" she asked while gesturing to the beaten forms of their three other companions who could no longer fight.

"Because he's a puny human just like the rest of them." answered Evrag before bringing one of his claws swiftly down into the chest of Natsu. Causing the maroon drake to have a look of complete shock wash over her expression as Evrag slowly picked up the skewered mage that was slowly trying to pull himself off of the claw imbedded in him. "He's a tough bastard, I'll give him that, but he definitely didn't live up to the reputation he's built for himself among our kind." he said while watching with a twisted grin as said person continued to try and free himself.

"See Talia, we've accomplished our main goal and nothing will be able to stop us." said Tureis as he looked back at the maroon drake with a little grin. This caused him to not notice the small smirk slowly spreading across the dragon slayer that was no longer trying to remove the claw sticking through him. Talia on the other hand saw it and wanted to question the dragon slayer before he finally passed on to the other side.

"So long Dragneel, son of Igneel." declared Evrag in a mocking tone as he rose his head up. Once again causing Talia's eyes to shoot wide open in shock since she knew what he was going to do next.

"Stop Evrag!" she bellowed as she tried to rush forward and stop him. But unfortunately, she wasn't fast enough and watched on in horror as his head shot forward and surrounded the Master of Fairy Tail before closing down and spraying blood all over while giving off a bone chilling crunch.

 **End of Chapter**

 **Thanks for reading and I'm so sorry that this didn't come out within the week after the last chapter like I wanted it to. As to why that happened is very simple actually, my computer that I do all of my writing on crashed and needed a little work before I could get it back up and running so I could finish this. With that said, it's also why I haven't been responding back to pms or reviews as quick as I would have liked to because I absolutely hate responding to those on my phone. Hopefully by the time that this is actually published I'll have gotten caught back up with all of that stuff. So this most recent invasion of drakes is taking longer than I initially thought it would, but now that I'm thinking about it, it actually sets up a lot of things for later chapters and other stuff that changes their universe. But I can promise that the next chapter will be the final conclusion for this little arc of mine and hopefully have a little time skip at the end of it as well. I guess it's time for me to say my usual stuff at the end, so feel free to pm me or leave a review and I'll try to get back to you when I can.**

 **Until Next Chapter,**

 **Digem Out!**


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